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A while ago, my best friend, Heather, and I participated in an urban scavenger hunt-style race. The goal was to solve 12 challenges faster than any other team. Each challenge consisted of solving a riddle and getting yourself to the solution (by foot or public transportation only) and taking a photo. For example, we had to take a photo of ourselves in front of the second oldest building on the campus of a local college.
Do you ever feel burnt out in your coaching or your training as an athlete? The daily routines of training and competing can easily crush our motivation if we’re not careful. During my college years, I enjoyed watching and coaching younger athletes as they competed in our annual kids camps. There’s something special that children exude during competition that we usually lack: a simple joy and love for life.
As we seek to follow Jesus Christ in and out of our coaching or competing, we need daily reminders of who we are and the motivation to keep fighting the fight. The phrase “in Christ” occurs over 160 times in Paul’s letters in the New Testament. He consistently reminded his readers of their identity in Christ before a certain behavior or command was addressed.
PGA Tour pro Zach Johnson is a self-proclaimed sports enthusiast. And, as a Christian, he readily admits that his favorite story is one where sports and Scripture collide: David versus Goliath. At the mere mention of the biblical battle, Johnson sees flashes of a small shepherd boy with a sling and stones overtaking a Philistine giant. Immediately he is inspired.
It's the typical driveway basketball scenario: Your team is down by two with three seconds left on the clock. You get the pass at the top of the key and square up to take the game-winning shot. It's one of the most heart-pounding moments in your imaginary career, and, once the shot goes down (even if it's on the second or third try), you rejoice with the thousands of invisible spectators.
As athletes, we dream of being in those pressure-packed, crunch-time situations. The fourth quarters, ninth innings and final sets. When it comes to actual games, however, those visualizations take on a new reality.
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You see it on every sideline. Every team has it and in nearly as many flavors as Baskin Robbins. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about — Gatorade. It is as common to sports as the equipment we use to play. There are many imitations out there, but there is only one true Gatorade. Athletes at all levels consume this product daily to help them feel their best before, during and after a performance. And commercials today ask, "Is it in you?"
In sports, a competitive drive is invaluable. As athletes, our desire to win can push us to the next level. We have to have an internal desire to win if we are going to perform our best when it matters the most, no matter what our “win” might be.
Most of us think about competitiveness in the context of competing against others. If we win, others lose. Or, even worse, if they win, we lose. Personally, I believe this win-lose mindset is a competitive mistake.
“...I do not run like one who runs aimlessly…Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” - 1 Corinthians 9:26-27
“Living without a purpose and a plan is like sailing a ship without a rudder—you’ll float aimlessly in circles and go nowhere.” – Unknown
Don’t you just love that quote? Personally, I believe it paints a great word picture for life, especially as it pertains to our physical health.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme didn't rush into the locker rooms after losing Super Bowl XXXVIII by three points to the New England Patriots. Quite the contrary. He stood on the sidelines and forced himself to watch the Patriots in jubilee. Delhomme commented afterwards, "I guess I just wanted it to hurt as much as possible. I wanted to watch the celebration so that it could hurt. So I could remember it for motivation."
It would be hard for any Average Joe to keep his legs from collapsing after enduring 26.2 miles of leg-pounding, foot-smacking pavement. For elite runners, however, this is nothing extraordinary. They run long, and they run hard in order to win — either for the personal gratification of finishing the race or for bragging rights in their sport.
But, like any stereotype, there are exceptions — like the one in this story. It is the story of one elite runner who, win or lose, pounds those 26.2 miles to give the glory to someone else. That 5-2, slender figure who runs like a cheetah on the hunt is Kenya’s Catherine Ndereba, a.k.a. Catherine the Great.
The sports world loves to pay tribute to great athletes and coaches. Halls of fame, retired jerseys and numbers, street names and building names all honor famous sports heroes. But what are they really honoring? Some were great men and women off the field, but for the most part those things honor great achievements in athletics. In my book there's nothing wrong with that until we look at how we truly honor Christ in our sporting careers.
Perhaps more than any other sport, Major League Baseball often becomes a family business. It’s not unusual for sons to follow in the footsteps of Major League dads or for brothers to pursue similar dreams on the diamond. What is rare, however, is for those Big League dreams to be realized by all of the sons in one family. The story of the three Drew boys from Hahira, Ga., is one of baseball’s current legends in the making. J.D., Tim and Stephen, who grew up playing front-yard baseball games in southern Georgia, all pursued that risky career path of baseball. And all three made it.
Coaches face pressure on a daily basis. Whether it’s your won-lost record, player’s academics, boosters, parents—the expectations placed on coaches are never-ending.
What a comforting truth Matthew brings us! Jesus was declaring His willingness to stand in the gap for us. He liberates us to focus on Him, producing a pressure-free response to His Spirit and truth.
Coaches need support just as their teams do. As a result most schools have booster clubs made up of a wide range of people from parents to interested members of the community. Most of the time, club members work sacrificially to help make the school’s athletic programs more effective. Some, however, may become more of a thorn in a coach’s side through expressions of uninformed criticism.
As an athlete, I constantly struggle with my thoughts. I have thoughts of doubt, confusion, and pride—just to name a few. I wrestle with doubting my athletic ability and potential, my place on the team, and my acceptance from teammates. It is usually my mind that is the greatest challenge, not my physical ability. My mind runs wild with speculation.
My college lacrosse coach would post his daily practice plan before practice began. Based on where he would put my name on the practice plan, I would think better or worse of my ability. My thoughts would consume me as to why my coach had listed me in the order that he did—thinking that he had either moved me up or down in the rotation. I later found out that he had no real reason for moving the names around.
In sports today, everything a pro athlete does is under a microscope. Every single day newspaper headlines scream about another athlete who has crashed and burned. Sometimes it's part of their personal life, while other times it's directly related to his or her sport. Either way, we have access to information about virtually everything these athletes do. Their lives are in full view.
If we're honest, I don't think any one of us would want that kind of scrutiny and spotlight on our lives. We all sin. And since our mistakes don't usually make the headlines, it's easy for us to think that we're getting away with them and just sweeping them under the rug. But, like I tell my kids, the truth always comes out.
Alliesha Easley's story reads similarly to those that often appear in the pages of STV: An athlete grows up in a Christian home, excels at a specific sport, faces hardship, and then must rely on a relationship with Christ that began long ago — a relationship that has been fostered and cared for by FCA. In the end, the athlete comes out of the struggle a stronger person, Christian, teammate, friend and witness. Those, after all, are the stories from which we want our readers to draw inspiration and, ultimately, use to witness to others.
As athletes and coaches, we understand the meaning of discipline. Our lives are filled with early morning workouts and late nights in the gym. We sacrifice whatever it takes to reach our goals. We know that if we work harder than our opponents, we have a better chance of winning.
Gary Steffes discusses his successful career as a forward at Miami of Ohio, the Frozen Four and a radical change brought about by faith in Christ.
To hear Texas A&M University basketball coach Billy Gillispie talk about Chris Walker's natural talent, you'd probably think the senior was a benchwarmer, not a guy who started 23 games last season. But to hear Gillispie gush, in the same sentence, about the "intangibles" that Walker brings to the Aggies, you'd think he was a sure-fire NBA lottery pick.
The neighborhood gang gathered to play ball at the park and a new guy showed up. Everyone brought their usual stuff: Tom brought the favorite bat, Jimmy his bases, Alex had a cooler of water and cups, Derek had extra gloves. Joe, the new guy, had nothing. Tom asked him, “You wanna play?”
Joe replied, “Sure.”
Tom then asked, “What do you got to play with?” Joe walked away dejected.
In Romans 12, Paul pleaded with the people to offer themselves to the Lord. Too many times we think we need to give God something. Paul urged the Roman people, in view of all God had done for them, to simply present their bodies back to the Lord for His glory and honor.
David had been contemplating a very big decision and sought advice from Nathan the prophet. Nathan’s reply was basically, “Go for it!” We get that same feeling when we have prepared to compete and everyone involved has great confidence in the game plan. Each coach and player is infused with excitement and can’t wait to get to the field of competition.
How great would it be to approach every day of our lives this way? Why do we not? God is surely with us, so let’s strongly and confidently pursue the life He’s put in our hearts. As Nathan said to David, I’m now saying to you, “Do all that is on your heart, for God is with you” (1 Ch 17:2).
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