We like sports in our home…we don’t just like them …I would probably say we love them. I am as non-athletic and coordinated as you can get but I am a consummate fan! My husband played collegiate basketball and after a career-ending injury became the first mascot for Harding. Before college, he had to make the decision to take the basketball scholarship from a Christian university or join the Mariners farm system out of high school as a pitcher. Four kids and nine grands later and 39 years of marriage, we all agree he made the right choice đ but I digress.
I have three grandsons playing baseball this spring and I am thrilled to wag my chair from field to field, cover up in a blanket or pull out the sunscreen. I have a cooler, a spritzer and portable fan. I have a couple of those cheesy baseball Nana shirts. I cheer; I encourage; I correct the umpire when he needs it; I count pitches. You get the visuals…
I have been teaching and principaling for 31 years now. The academics is important. Don’t get me wrong, please. You can ask my own children or students…they will tell you how important it is to me. But each year as I listen to graduating senior memories, who do they often credit for their success? A coach. We are at a Christian school and many of our students are led to Christ and baptized by their coaches.
What is it? I believe it all goes back to scripture, Titus 2.
Titus 2 You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love, and in endurance… 6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us …
9 Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, 10 and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.
11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say âNoâ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hopeâthe appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
15 These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you. NIV
When I read Titus 2 as a woman, I concentrated on the verses for women, of course. But what if we held ourselves in sports to the whole passage. WAIT, what if I hold Jayme to the whole passage? Self-controlled, integrity, respect, self-control (I put that in twice for me), soundness of speech and endurance in all of my life.
Those are some of the exact qualities I hear from students about the coaches who make a difference. Now they may say something different in their vernacular, “He doesn’t talk down to me”, “He doesn’t make me feel stupid.” “He encourages even when he talks to me about my mistakes.”, “He’s tough on us but he cares.” “He expects a lot out of me.”
We are all aware of the negative influences of coaches. The news, our schoolyards and any field in the United States can give you plenty of examples. I recently told my husband, “I think civilization is doomed” after attending a travel ball game and watching some coaches and parents totally humiliate in the name of coaching and parenting. We could fill pages of comments on those folks. But back to Titus…
Titus 2:10 has an insightful line, “but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.” I love that! We need to make the teaching about God our Savior attractive to the world. That was the secret of the early church. The world isn’t going to come into our pews because of a great billboard or flyer. They might just by sitting at a ballpark or having a Christian coach who is different.
I want my grands to play a sport. Be part of a team. Learn to win and more importantly, LOSE. I want them to sit on a bench. I want them to take a pitch or bunt when they don’t want to. I want them on a mound or midfield encouraging the pitcher or their lineman. I want them to recognize who gave them the assist. Pass the ball (for all us basketballers).
So many life lessons can be learned on a field from godly men and women stepping up and coaching. I don’t know why anyone would want to sometimes with our toxic climate, but literally THANK GOD THEY ARE CALLED TO! I have had friends on all levels from T-Ball to head D-1 coaches be threatened, humiliated, and berated by fans and parents. And they still do it for the love of the game, kids, and most of all Jesus.
I watched one of my grandson’s coaches apologize to an ump over a dispute over a call recently in Arkansas. What a rarity and what an example of Jesus. Taking a situation where the world assumes and validates your right to berate someone and instead, treating that person with respect. Isn’t that what Jesus did?
Go thank a coach today and play ball! Serve who God put in your path day! Maranatha! Jayme
