For those of you that participated in high school athletics, I hope that you never had ‘that parent’ at your game. Every athlete knows the parent I’m talking about. The parent that is yelling at the referee…..and the coach……and their kid. Pretty much, the parent wanting their voice to be heard. I didn’t have ‘that parent’ because my parents didn’t think it was their job to do anything aside from cheer for me. It was my coach’s responsibility to yell out directions and it was my responsibility to try and follow them as best I could. A majority of the time coaches have to yell simply to be heard because of the immense noise during a game. Fill a gym with opposing fans and there is quite an obstacle for a player trying to hear his coach and so it’s important for a player to know his coach’s voice. His voice needs to stand out or you may be led astray and confused by the wrong voice. The time spent in practice prior to the games and the crowds allows a player to become familiar with his coach. The guiding and directive voice heard for a couple hours a day, 4 or 5 days a week, has a way of standing out from the crowd and turning down the volume of the ‘that parent’ and the fans.
Last week was the start of the basketball season for the kids I work with. One thing I regularly remind the kids during practice is that if they’re not looking me they’re not listening to me. This has a twofold purpose. First, it lets me see that they are indeed paying attention to me and not distracted by something or simply letting their mind wander. I need to know that they are listening. While they may argue that they don’t have to see me in order hear me, the fact of the matter is that they do. The second purpose for them looking at me when I’m talking is that they get to see what I’m doing. I’m a pretty demonstrative person, which is necessary when coaching almost any sport. When explaining something like ‘setting a screen for your teammate’ I am not just saying what they need to do. I talk with my hands and feet just as much as with my mouth. While talking I am showing them how to do it. While running through an offensive rotation, I don’t want them setting a screen on an imaginary defender so I stand in as an example. This allows me to see that each one is setting an appropriate screen or give them guidance if something needs to be improved upon.
Isn’t that what we see Jesus doing? His ministry did not consist of simply telling us what we need to do. Jesus didn’t tell us to pray for those who persecute us and then leave us wondering what that looks like. Instead, we see Jesus on the cross praying that his Father would forgive his persecutors because they don’t know what they’re doing. What he taught and how he lived provides us with a complete lesson necessary for us to become like him.
Over the 6 years that I played organized basketball, from 7th-12th grade, I had 4 different coaches. While the basics of basketball didn’t change with each new coach, there were some philosophical or systemic differences that affected which type of offense or defense we played. What we did, or attempted to do, on the court was a reflection of what our coach taught in practice. What I find funny is that there are many aspects of what I do now as a coach that is a reflection of how I was coached. I may not remember which specific coach taught me particular things but I do know that I didn’t come up with them on my own. I resemble my coaches in what I say and do with my kids on the court.
What we say and do in this world, as believers, is a reflection of our Coach. I know that there were many times, especially early on as a player, that I wasn’t a good reflection of my coach because I was young and very inexperienced. Now, as a coach myself, I know at the onset of another season that this new group of kids will look nothing like me at first. There is a lot of coaching to do, but my hope is that by the end of the season they will have developed as individuals and as a team. Maybe they will even look a bit like me when all is said and done!
"When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice."—John 10:4
When it comes to our Christian walk, do we know our coach’s voice? Does it stand out in the midst of competing voices because we are deeply familiar with it or is it drowned out by the noise of the crowd? A shepherd and his sheep are familiar with each other because of the time they spend together. In order to be familiar with the voice of our Coach we need to be together.
"..wisdom is proved right by her deeds."—Jesus (Matthew 11:19)
When it comes to practice (Yes, Allen Iverson, I’m talking about practice.) are we giving our full attention to the Coach? Are we watching as well as listening? While it is easy to put a special level of importance on the ‘Red Letters’ (Jesus’ words) in the gospels, they ultimately find their value in what Jesus does.
"But Grow in the Grace and Knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen."—2 Peter 3:18
And lastly, how much do we look like our Coach? Fortunately, as Christians, we don’t have a new coach every so many years. The goals and objectives are not moving targets and so each year we have the opportunity to continue growing in the same direction. That is, growing in Christlikeness.
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