SUCCESS VS. SIGNIFIGANCE
Coaches, by definition, are driven- driven to become successful, to win games, to win championships. Most of us find out at some point in our careers that we can’t win them all. And, despite even our best efforts sometimes we must accept losses as a part of life. But, many of us are tricked by the great deceiver into thinking that our self-worth is determined by our records and the number of trophies we leave behind when we are gone. We confuse happiness with joy and peace. Happiness is momentary, fleeting. Joy and peace can last forever. Happiness is dependent on what we can get, mostly for ourselves. Joy and peace come from what we give to others and to God.
As a coach, how can you learn to pursue joy and peace rather than mere happiness?
Just a few years ago my pursuit of happiness led me to rock bottom. After competing in three straight Final Fours without a championship, there followed a couple of years where I looked to get that coaching “edge” by looking to other coaches who were well-known for their records. I thought if I could be more like Dorrance, Lombardi and others I would be a better coach, more successful. God was setting me up to learn the truth. The next two years were complete misery. Losses mounted, players rebelled, parents called for my head. And, I gave it to them. In 2002 I quit twice.
But, God had other plans. He had broken me down, something He often does to make us trust Him. My athletic director refused to accept my resignation the first time and then finally asked me to stay on another year because it was too late to find a qualified replacement. God was at work. So, I stayed on. But I knew something had to change. In order for me to stay at this I had to find real joy and peace.
I found it in an unsuspecting place, the bible. I never thought of it as a coaching manual. But, I came to realize it does have ALL the answers. I began a study using the book Kings and Coaches by Al Schierbaum and soon found all I needed. I realized that we often lock God out of parts of our lives, letting him have a piece of our Sundays or on special occasions, funerals or religious celebrations. Paul says in Galatians 5: 22-23 that, “Joy and peace come from love and trust in the Lord.” God wants us to give our entire lives to Him. I see many coaches who think that God is something to put on a shelf and dust off only in time of need. Maybe they see it as a sign of weakness to rely on Him. Most of these coaches are the “loose cannons” living from explosion to explosion, without real peace. They live and die with every game’s outcome. You can spot them. Their frustrations from a loss bring them far to low and their victory celebrations are far too high and short-lived.
God wants our whole lives. “Commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him and He will act.” Psalm 37:5. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5. If we do this God says we will have abundant life, peace and joy. Those who deny that often end in destruction. “…their end is destruction: their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame. They are focused on earthly things.” Phil 3:18-19. God warns us against focusing on earthly things in Matthew 6: 19-21 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is there will your heart be also.”
Where is your heart? If it is on seeking God, he promises YOU abundant life here on earth and in heaven. Do you coach first for God, modeling His ways? Does your team know you are a man of God? Are you sure? This is perhaps the most SIGNIFIGANT impact you can make on the life of a young person, to let them see God in you and know that He is your priority. This is a way of planting seeds for Him. These seeds will be harvested by God for an eternity. (Christian, God expects that of you). What greater trophy is there than to get to heaven and find that you played a part in helping others to get there? THAT is storing up treasures in heaven! Nothing is more significant.
Relevant scriptures:
Psalm 37:3-5
John 10:10
Ephesians 6:10-18
Link to God's Yellow Pages so you can look up the above scriptures.
