As much as we can predict and plan for life, we never know how things are going to play out. We see this all the time in sports. That’s probably one of the reasons that sports are so great—they’re completely unpredictable.

What a great metaphor for life, too. It’s the same way. How many times are we taken by surprise in a day? From little things like unexpected phone calls or traffic jams, to big, life-altering bombshells like deaths and natural disasters. We just never know what’s coming.

“Mr. Irrelevant” is an award that started in 1976. It is given to the very last player selected in the NFL Draft. The 2009 “Mr. Irrelevant” award went to Kansas City Chiefs kicker Ryan Succop, who has helped the Chiefs each season since the draft. In 2009 he was pick number 256 in the last round and was given a trophy—the Lowsman Trophy, which is a spoof off of the Heisman Trophy. This trophy actually depicts a player fumbling the ball!

At the draft, he was even given an official NFL jersey with the number 256 and “Mr. Irrelevant” on the back. Can you imagine getting tagged with the title “Mr. Irrelevant”? Basically, people are saying you are not important. I’ve been called many names over the years, but I would struggle with this one.

God gives second chances. Actually, God gives us more than just second chances; He gives us millions of chances, because despite our endless mistakes and sins God still loves us. I don’t know about you, but I mess up a lot. Whether it is by having pride, judging others, denying God’s will in my life or giving into temptation, I just cannot seem to stop feeling like I am failing God. After seeming to let God down so many times it is hard to understand that God still has a plan to use me to do His will. But, boy, does He have a plan.

In the ancient Middle East, there were three ways to obtain water. Digging a well was one way; carving out a cistern was another. Both required hard work and human energy. The third way came naturally, up through the earth, when a spring of water bubbled to the surface. We find in Scripture that such a spring became a picture of God’s grace and provision. Jesus told the woman at the well, “The water I will give him will become like a well of water springing up within him for eternal life” (John 4:14b).

Everyone wants to win. As coaches, we are probably more conscious of winning than most. After all, many times our livelihood rides on winning and losing. But we must be careful that our desire to win does not become our only emphasis with our athletes. We cannot push our players to win “at all costs.” The great coach John Wooden once said, “I don’t know whether always winning is good. It breeds envy and distrust in others and overconfidence and lack of appreciation very often in those who enjoy it.” How important it is for coaches to walk that fine line between wanting their teams to succeed, and acting as though winning is the only thing.

A while ago, our baseball team played an opponent we should have probably defeated, but we made some costly errors. The following day I was doing my devotion from “The Daily Light Journal” by Anne Graham Lotz. The title was “The Fruit of the Spirit Is…Joy.” That prompted me to think about the joys that had come through even in our team’s struggles: the salvation of a teammate, the development of many young players, the ability to lose and continue to practice hard. The list goes on and on.

It was the biggest race of the season. All the runners were ready to go. The rugged course was full of hills and rough terrain, but it was THE race of the year. Every runner was excited to go. With a single shot the runners raced toward the opening in the woods. Early in the race seven runners broke from the pack and came to a fork in the path. The lead runner made the choice and each runner followed in stride.

I am training for a marathon—a grueling task that is even more difficult because I’m training alone. Some training runs have been up to 18 miles—all on my own. When I run it’s just me, the trail, and my MP3 player. Before I decided to do the marathon I told God I wanted to run for His glory. With a month of training to go, I realized something had become all too familiar to me. Even when I didn’t have on headphones, I was singing in my head. I had been listening to my MP3 so often that the songs were in my mind all the time. When I focused on the words, I realized something was wrong.

When I think of a person who is determined, I think of someone who is strong and resolved; has deep inner convictions that drive their actions; ready to sacrifice; focused on their goal; and not easily distracted. I think of a person who refuses to give in and fights to the end. Teams that are determined will always give it their all. Determination is a great quality if it is for the right reasons.

The Book of Daniel begins with Nebuchadnezzar besieging Jerusalem. Defeat happened quickly, and God handed the king of Judah to Nebuchadnezzar who declared defeat of Israel’s God and proclaimed his god, “Marduk,” more powerful. But the game was not over. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, knew that God always wins and chose to trust Him.