How many times, as athletes or coaches, have we been nervous before a big game? Maybe we were getting ready to play the big school rivalry game. Maybe it was a playoff game. Maybe a boyfriend or girlfriend was in the stands. Maybe we just get nervous in front of big crowds. We all handle these situations differently. Some of us get sick to our stomachs. Some cannot stop talking or moving around. Others come across as unfazed. These athletes seem to know the secret to remaining calm under pressure.

Athletes must strive to get better every day. No matter how talented we are, there is always room for improvement. We may be the best in our school or sport, but if we get satisfied, we will not become all God wants us to be.

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 Co 9:25), we’ve lost perspective of why we’re coaching in the first place. In other words, just as we live our lives to please the Great Shepherd, so, too, do we coach our players with the same goal. In the process, we’ll serve as examples to the sheep.

Every day as coaches, we face many decisions that will affect our team. We need to deal with everything from what to do at practice, to who should be the starters in the next game. Some decisions are bigger than others, but they all have some bearing on our team. Every once in a while we may find ourselves in a position where we have no clue what decision to make or how to resolve an issue. It is at those times that we turn to assistant coaches, athletic directors, and others for help.

I was fortunate to be one of the best high jumpers in the world for many years. My best jump of 7’ 10.5” still ranks as one of the top four of all time. Jumping at a bar that high almost seems impossible when looking at it with our natural eye. In fact, most people won’t even attempt to jump because they are intimidated by its height. But for world-class jumpers, we’re never intimidated because we look through a different set of eyes. We often focus on a point high above the bar to guide us in the right direction. At times, we don’t even see the bar because our eyes are set on something much higher.

Chad was the consummate team player, working harder than everyone else. He was humble and unselfish, and never once did I hear him talk trash to an opponent. I knew there was something different about Chad, but I couldn’t quite figure out what it was.

At age 16 I began to search for the purpose of my existence. Sports were gratifying, but I knew they wouldn’t last forever. Around this time, I learned that the difference between Chad and me was that he had a personal relationship with Jesus that influenced his life on and off the field.

There are some things that just set a coach off. Together those things make up what I call my "Hot List"--things that made me mad fast!

1. A lazy player.
2. Someone who is constantly late.
3. Those who would rather complain than try harder.
4. Those who blame everyone else and never take responsibility for their own actions.

These players really pushed me to the limit as a coach. Was there redeeming value in them? Absolutely. But rarely did they see it in themselves.

Sometimes people want to say something to a friend, but chicken out at the last minute because they think it might be silly or embarrassing. Often, they later regret not saying it. What does God think about such situations?

Proverbs 25:11 states: “A word spoken at the right time is like golden apples on a silver tray.” We all know the value of gold and silver, even if we can’t afford them. We also know how sweet to the taste apples are. How valuable and how sweet to our souls would apples of gold be? Certainly they would have great value, especially when served to us on fine silver.

I had many favorite sayings as a coach. Here a some of them:

-- Rule 1: The coach is right.
-- Rule 2: If you think Coach is wrong, see Rule 1.
-- Whether you can or can't, you are right.
-- Don't tell me. Show me.

The last one may have been my favorite. Athletes have a hard time backing up what they say. They talk a good game, but many times today's athlete can't back it up. All in all, talk is cheap.

Recently, I’ve been struck by the simple way in which children think. This spring, I volunteered at a camp, and as part of the curriculum, we were teaching the story of Daniel and the Lions' Den. When we asked the kids questions, a young girl around 5 years old would always answer in the simplest way, but I could tell she understood the story better than most kids her age. When the group was asked how Daniel was saved from the lions' den, the young girl said something to this effect: “Daniel trusted that God would keep him safe because God loves Daniel.”

What does a basketball coach look for in his players when he walks into the gym before practice or a game? Perhaps what pleases the coach most is to see his players continuing to hone the skills that contribute to the team playing their best—shooting, dribbling, and passing. It would be disappointing  if he were to observe the players constantly working on the art of spinning the ball on their fingers.

Baseball has always been a way of life for Boston Red Sox slugger Adrian Gonzalez. The three-time Gold Glove winner and four-time All-Star has excelled at the game since he first picked up a bat and ball as a young boy in San Diego. But when asked to put his life and nine-year MLB career into perspective, he explains how it has been and always will be about so much more than just the game, “You look at the big picture of life; there’s going to be more time when it’s going to be you and Jesus than in the field.”