“You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give You thanks forever!” (Psalm 30:11-12)

We've all been there: an athlete falls short of attaining his or her goal.

Cade was a senior, entering the final competition of his career with a 35-1 record, 152 career wins, and a sub-state championship, and he had been named #3 in the final season rankings leading up to the state championship. He was also battling a shoulder injury that flared up early in the week before state, and his grandfather had just passed away. Cade was determined and resilient as he pursued his dream of being a state champion. Sixty seconds into his semifinals match, it seemed like he was on track. He had his opponent on his back and was looking for a pin, but then a scramble broke out, Cade was caught on back, and pinned. His dreams were dashed. 

Christopher Reeve, the actor and writer best known for his role as Superman, once said, "I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles." 

What can we do when our athletes' dreams don't pan out? When they are weeping tears of anguish and despair because their dreams have been dashed? 

There are countless quotes and clichés about getting "back on the horse." How can we keep our words real and impactful though? Talk can be cheap -- it's easier said than done. 

Our mission is to empower athletes and to remind them that God's work is something we can never truly understand, but it happens for a reason. God has given us the strength and the ability to respond to the obstacles placed in front of us. If we seize the opportunity, we can truly see how that mourning can become joy. 

Cade rebounded. Despite watching the opponent he'd beaten the week before move on to the state finals on the other side of the bracket, he responded by knocking off two straight wins, one against the #1 ranked wrester with a dominant 7-2 decision. His final match ended with tears of joy, praise for God, and the conclusion to a remarkable journey that ended with victory. A state championship would have been nice, but the true character development happened with his decision to recover, refocus, and rededicate himself to the next goal. 

Moment of Kaizen: 

• How can you make your words more impactful in these moments of mourning, so that they're not just lip service? 
• What stories / experiences from your own life can you use to guide your athletes in such moments? 

Related Passage: "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance" (Ecclesiastes 3:1-4).

A major part of our jobs as coaches is stepping up to the occasion to help your athletes / team figure out how to turn their mourning into joy. What can we do to overcome these challenging times when they arise during our seasons? 

May 30, 2021

This article is a part of a series of Coaches Devotionals that I will be writing over the course of the next year. Please click here if you would like to receive email notifications when a new devotional is published.