How often do we worry that we are weak? When the struggles of life start to weigh us down, we sometimes get weak in the knees and feel we don’t have the strength to continue. But it’s not always the feeling of physical weakness that makes us tremble; it’s often the feeling that we are alone in the battle. It is always easier in a negative situation to look to people for support than it is to turn our sights to Jesus who is not there in the flesh.

At the beginning of every football season, Coach Tom Landry would give his players his priorities: God, family and football, in that order. By keeping these priorities, he avoided the madness and chaos that often consume a coach’s life.

Many times on the Christian journey, we sense God calling us to do something. Sometimes, though, the task seems too great or our resources seem too small. Other times, God’s call can feel overwhelming and cause us to doubt whether we really heard Him at all. Thankfully, He has given us His Scriptures to speak directly to our fears and doubts when it comes to matters related to His call.

All coaches want to make that perfect play call. That play that will be a guaranteed score. The play that there is just no stopping. And every athlete wants to be the one who runs the perfect play.

As athletes, your coach may tell you to visualize running every play perfectly. You might spend those pre-game moments alone in a quiet area just watching the game play out in your mind. And every one of us sees the same game play through our heads. . . The game is tied, and it is up to us to make the winning shot. We have the ball at the end of the game, and only the perfect play will win it all. Well, we all know that there is no perfect play. Things come up. Things usually don't go exactly how we planned.

He may not have been the biggest, fastest or strongest man in the NFL, but that didn't keep Warrick Dunn from being selected as the 2004 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. The award, which recognizes a player who excels on the field and in community service, couldn't have a more worthy recipient than Dunn. Inspired by his mother, who never got to realize her dream of owning a home, he has helped 52 single moms become first-time home owners through his "Home for the Holidays" program. Said Dunn, "People say I'm giving back, but I think I'm getting a lot more than what I put in."

Larry, at only 13 years old, impacted my life.

At the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, we have a tradition that has occurred at every camp for more than 55 years. On the last night, we have open mic session when athletes come forward and share how camp has impacted their lives. It is always the highlight of the entire week of camp.

I will never forget an FCA Leadership Camp I was directing several years ago when Larry got up to share at the open mic night. After a terrific week of training middle school and high school students on how to impact their campus for Christ, it was now time to hear how God had worked in their hearts towards leadership. Service projects, leadership workshops, hands-on training, inspiring speakers and powerful worship had marked the week.

One of my favorite things about John Wooden’s coaching was that he taught his players each year to put on their socks and tie their shoes properly. You’d think college-aged athletes could already do this, but Wooden took nothing for granted. He paid attention to the little things, which made the big things come more easily for his teams over the years.

Of course, Coach Wooden wanted to teach his players a lesson: If they were going to play in his program, they had to put aside what they wanted to do and follow his plans for the team. That discipline in the small things gave his teams great results, as they won 10 national championships and set an example for the rest of us how the little things make the biggest difference.

The Boston Red Sox saw little potential in their 24-year-old pitcher. He’d had a couple of decent years, but he had showed little sign of improvement. Eventually, the team traded him to the New York Yankees, who decided to move him to the outfield to utilize his strong arm. The Yankees also believed that he could become a good hitter. They were right. Years later, few people remember that Babe Ruth began his career as a mediocre pitcher in Boston!

I was playing in a volleyball tournament, trying to apply what Scripture commands us Christians to do: seek the Lord, not just in our quiet times, but in every aspect of our lives. That principle goes along with the goal to not be conformed to this world, but to be conformed in the image of Christ Jesus. 

As the game began, I began to talk with the Lord right there on the court. I started by telling Him where I was at, what I was feeling, how I didn't want to lose the game. I was completely honest with Him and told Him that I was playing to impress the cute guy who had just walked through the door. I told Him how I didn't want to let down my teammates, and I shared how I wanted to impress the other girls on the opposing team.