Game day is here. Have I lifted enough? Have I practiced enough? Have I worked hard enough to be ready to compete tonight? These are all questions that run through our minds before we take the field of play. As we sit in the locker room readying for battle, the question we have to answer is, “Am I game ready?”

One of the great teachers I had in high school was my football coach. I remember one particular night during a junior varsity football game that our coach taught us a lesson we would never forget.

In Matthew 8:19-22, it would seem that Jesus was heartless and uncaring with the disciple. The reality was that Jesus had need of him at that moment, but the young man’s current condition or situation kept him from committing to God. What present situations or conditions keep us from God? What will we miss by not following Him today? What have we already missed by not choosing Him before?

The sweet reality is that God knows us and is well acquainted with our circumstances and conditions. If we always waited for the most appropriate time to come to God, we may never come at all.

I can still remember the smell of my first baseball glove. I remember begging my mom and dad to let me play ball. I remember getting the call from my coach to let me know what team I would be on and putting my uniform on as soon as I received it. I remember opening day, the first game, the sno cones, Frito pies for supper, talking about the upcoming game with my friends at school, facing them the next day after a loss, and my mom and dad never letting me blame anything on the umpires, teammates or coaches. I remember my parents staying late after the game and visiting with friends, going to the ballpark even when we didn’t have a game, and the end-of-the-year party.

I love college football and everything about it. I love watching a good offense, but there is nothing like a strong front line on the defensive side. There is nothing more intimidating to me than having a great front four that doesn’t let anyone advance down the field. They are the rock of their defense — a mighty fortress, so to speak. Nothing can penetrate them when the offense tries to advance. They stand firm. What an awesome sight it is to see nothing cross the line of defense.

As a former semi-pro hockey player who has been out of the game for more than a decade, I still like to look back at my career and reflect on the life lessons that my high school hockey coach taught us. One of my favorites was from a speech that went something like this: “Don’t worry about what the other team is doing. Concentrate on what makes you great. Get to the rink early and visualize shooting the puck and passing the puck. Visualize winning the little battles in the corner and coming out with the puck. We can only control our actions and our attitudes. Hockey is a game of mistakes, and if we make fewer mistakes than the other team, we will come up with a win.”

My very first day of coaching high school girls’ tennis fell on a hot August afternoon. As our practice was about to end, the only thing left was the distance run. I had my stopwatch ready to call out the time of each player as she finished. I knew this was going to be tough that first day; nobody was in great shape at the end of the summer after too many afternoons spent lying on the couch in air-conditioning.

After our fastest runner crossed the finish line, she immediately turned around to see how far back the other players were and saw one young player far behind everyone else. Without hesitating she sprinted back to that last runner and began to run alongside her for the last leg. Our fastest runner did not want anyone to have to finish last or alone.

Being a sports fan my entire life, I have always watched athletes and paid close attention to the way they conduct themselves on and off the field. In particular I have always watched for humility in these athletes.

To me, I’d always thought humility was most clearly displayed through those who gave their teammates the credit, handed the ball to the official after a touchdown, or celebrated a goal in a respectable way. Lately, however, I’ve realized that this is only the beginning of what true humility means. It’s easy for athletes to appear humble on the surface by doing the aforementioned things when everything is going well, but true humility really occurs in the heart.

A while back, a friend of mine gave me a small book called "Overcoming Intimidation" by Keith Shealy. After reading the first chapter, I found a new mantra: “Run toward the roar.” This phrase has changed my entire mindset, especially when it comes to my sport of running.

Whenever I am in training for a race, I often experience pre-run anxiety regarding a variety of things—whether or not I'll finish, if I'll have enough energy, if there will be a treadmill available, if there will be rain/wind/snow, if I'll have the speed I need, if I'll get hurt, etc.

Back when I was a coach, I would always have a pre-season meeting where I would write out my season goals and what I expected of my players. One year while coaching in Oklahoma, my ladies team told me, "Coach, we are so committed to winning and becoming the best team you have ever coached. " I appreciated their comments, but only time would tell if that commitment would come true. Commitment always takes giving. . .

Something I have struggled with throughout my walk with Christ is feeling unworthy of His use. I’ve always thought I’m not good enough for God to use me as a tool to share His glory and His Word. I’m a sinner, and, as hard as I may try, I constantly fall short of His glory. What’s amazing, though, is that every time I’ve thought that, God has proved me wrong and shown me my worth to Him!