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Webster’s dictionary defines victory as “the winning of a battle, war, or any struggle.” The definition of winning is “to finish first.” Is it possible to gain a great victory and still not finish first? Which is more important: victories or wins?
Have you ever wondered why we are so competitive as athletes and coaches? Why when we get onto the playing field we take on a whole new persona? The competitive nature to win comes out in us all. We sacrifice for the team! We lay down that bunt or make the block so that the rest of the team can rejoice in the victory.
Our flesh is competitive, but so is our Spirit. In Galatians 5, Paul talks about this very thing. Our flesh and our Spirit are at war with each other. The things of God are always and will always be completely different from the things of the flesh.
Hockey Chat: One on one isn’t much of a scoring threat. Two on one creates a bit of worry for the goalie knowing that the odds are against him and the shot may come from either player. Three on one is a nightmare for the goal tender and almost guaranteed to beat him.
I’ll never forget the first day of football camp at the small college I attended. I’d come hoping to be a part of a winning program and perhaps even a national championship. Our head coach had scheduled a team meeting. As he reviewed the goals, he pulled out the video of last year’s national championship—a game we had lost. I then expected him to share his plan on how we would make it back to the national championship game and win.
Instead, he did something I would never forget: he threw the video to the ground, stomped it to bits, and told us if our only dream was to win a national championship, then we had set our goals too low!
“Touch the line!” is a phrase that athletes hear constantly, a call to run a sprint the right way. In my own personal experience this phrase has often been followed by the dreaded “that one didn’t count.” Needless to say, no one likes to run more than they have to.
Why would a coach make an athlete run again just for missing a line? I mean really, sometimes it’s only a matter of inches. The answer has to do with hard work and discipline. A coach never wants to see a player cut corners. He or she wants every player to realize their full potential, even if that means focusing on seemingly minor things. The same is true of our Heavenly Coach.
If you want to know how much an athlete loves his or her particular sport, find out about that athlete’s daily routine. The basketball player might shoot hundreds of jump shots and free throws. The baseball or softball player will likely spend an entire afternoon in the batting cage. The weightlifter can probably be found doing reps in the gym before and after class. The cross-country runner can usually be spotted jogging along the city’s sidewalks.
Why do these athletes discipline themselves to such regimented and demanding workouts? They put in the time because they are driven to succeed. They are driven to be the best. And, ultimately, it’s this simple: They have a passion for athletic competition.
I had the privilege of working with Texas high school football coach GaryGaines, best known as the former head coach of State Football Champion Odessa Permian High School as spotlighted in both the book and movie, Friday Night Lights. Gary would often muse, “Coaching would be the perfect profession if only it did not involve the massive highs of winning or the bottomless depths that come about from losing. The extremes are too huge.”
I had a point guard who struggled early on with her play and self-confidence. After beating herself up after a practice, I stood by her and said, "What stinks?" She replied, "My game." I disagreed and told her it was her attitude about her game. I told her to stop her stinkin' thinkin'!
To many times as athletes (and coaches) we tend to think the worst about ourselves or our situations. We tend to find our value in who we are as athletes, not in who we are in Christ. When this happens, as it did with this player, our stinkin' thinkin' takes over and our God-pleasing thoughts take a back seat.
Today, the FCA family is celebrating the life of one of its heroes. Longtime FCA teammate Ed Britton went home to be with the Lord this morning, leaving behind him an unsurpassed legacy of faith, passion and life. Anyone who came into contact with Ed, even for the briefest of moments, was left with an impression of Christ and a fresh desire to make an impact for Him. No one could leave an encounter with Ed without being completely fired up for Christ and ready to go out and make a difference in the world! He was truly one of a kind, and we will miss him so much.
It is copied in gyms all over the country. It started back in the 80’s in an old beat-up stadium in downtown Chicago. Basketball fans all over can still hear these words in their heads, “And now the starting line up for your Chicago Bulls.” These words echoed as Pippen, Grant, Cartwright, Armstrong, and Michael Jordan were announced. High schools and colleges today still imitate these now-famous words.
Our theme verses for camp this year are basically a prayer and some closing thoughts, but I wonder how they would sound blaring from the loud speakers of heaven down to earth when the Lord returns and we enter heaven. Who might get the job of announcing it to all? It might sound something like this …
Football players at Virginia Tech carry on a meaningful tradition. Each offensive player carries a chain link that symbolizes the teamwork they exhibit both on and off the field, as well as the responsibility each player has to work toward the success of the team.
I have adopted this tradition at the high school at which I now coach football; however, our chain link is symbolic of several biblical principles rather than simply inspiration for team victory. We carry our chain link to every practice and game as a reminder that each player is significant, valuable, important, and dependent upon the others not only for success on the football field but in our walk with Jesus Christ.
Competition is an obvious part of the coaching life, resulting in either winning or losing. But God’s Word reminds us not to get so caught up in the results that we forget to take care of the flock—the athletes—who have been put under our watch.
Of course, we all want to win. Yet if we forget that we’re really working toward an imperishable crown (as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 9:25), then we’ve lost sight of why we’re coaching in the first place. In other words, just as we live our lives to please the Good Shepherd, so too should we coach our players with the same goal. In the process, we’ll serve as examples to the sheep.
While growing up playing many types of sports, with a variety of coaches, there were many chants cheered. However, one that sticks out in my mind is “Go, Go, Get ’em, Get ’em, Fight, Fight, Win!” This cheer was a common saying from my high school basketball coach. We would break every huddle with our hands held high saying this simple, yet meaningful, chant. These words would help us persevere throughout the entire game.
In his book "Rise, Let Us Be on Our Way," Pope John Paul II took a chapter to talk about the steps he used as a new bishop to initiate fellowship. He wrote that prayer prepared him for his encounters with others. He suggested that we pray for everyone every day, and also offered that praying as soon as you meet someone would help in all relationships.
Glory – it is such a simple word. It is what all of us play the game for. We want the glory associated with being an athlete. We want to be recognized for our skill. Who doesn’t want to win a championship this year? How many times have you put your goals for the season down and listed “To NOT be remembered”?
At first glance, we have it all messed up. We should not want to get the entire spotlight. We should want to be a team player. We should not want to be so focused that we “win at all costs.” It’s in the nature of a competitor to “go for it.” Shouldn’t we want to be that focused?
If we made a list of hindrances to athletes today, what would it include? Drugs? Violence? Selfishness? Anger? Cheating? What if I said laziness was one of the top three hindrances to athletes? Some may disagree because of the intense training and conditioning of today’s athletes. I agree they are conditioned, ripped, and seem to be more physically conditioned than ever before, but I’m not talking about physical laziness.
Hebrews 6:12 describes “lazy” as something dull, unexciting; something that is slow or has lost its momentum. In other words, not moving with the same velocity and aggressiveness it once had. This is a picture of someone who has lost his drive—like sitting in a sports car and only shifting the gear into neutral.
When I first moved to North Carolina a number of years ago, I was blessed with a fine home. It sat on a beautiful river and was surrounded by mountains. It was idyllic in many ways, but I didn’t own it. I enjoyed its many amenities, but it wasn’t mine. And that made a big difference.
Prior to moving to Boone, I had owned my own home for many years. Renting is much different. Instead of spending a lot of time working on home improvements, as I had before, the closest thing I did to home improvement was mowing the lawn. Why? Because I wasn’t going to invest in something that was not mine. Look at any rental district, and you will see I am not alone. Rental properties are well known for the lack of care shown to them by their tenants.
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