“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” (Colossians 3:23)

Coaching can be an emotional journey. At our season banquet last year, a senior wrestler whom I’ve coached since he was in 2nd grade gave me a framed collection of photos of the two of us from throughout his high school years. These were candid pictures, not posed ones. Real, invaluable moments in time captured by photography. Sincere, honest, and personal – they reveal the vulnerable side of the job.

As coaches, we struggle to conceal this vulnerable side, yet it is so often revealed on the sidelines, courtside, matside, etc. Whether we’re experiencing triumph or heartbreak alongside our athletes, we tend to reveal our hands. We try to keep so many of these emotional aspects of coaching happen behind closed doors, and we try to hide them from our teams, the fans, and perhaps our own families. We try to maintain control and put on a stoic front so that we can be viewed as models of strength.

We are human beings, which means we are innately capable of sin. Pride, vanity, and personal glory can overcome our motivations for becoming coaches. These vices can get inside our heads and hijack our vision or mission. The questions we need to continually revisit are Why do I do what I do? and Why did I step up to become a coach?

Coaching is an investment, and all too often, we become caught up in our emotions with the negative side of our role. Because we are human and can lose control, we all end up – at one point or another or to some degree – making spectacles, losing our cool, and bringing shame upon us.

And these are often the moments that are captured on photo or video, and they are the ones that dictate how we are viewed as coaches. When these events arise, we must revisit the question, Why do I do what I do?

JRR Tolkien wrote, “It’s a dangerous business […] going out your front door. You step onto the road and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no telling where you might be swept off to.” We are taking a risk becoming coaches, but why do we continue on this dangerous path and time and time again take these risks? In any business where one becomes so emotionally invested, there is the danger of negative reactions, and there is the danger of exposing ourselves.

When you coach, you are stepping up willingly. You are not a conscripted soldier, so you must remember your purpose and serve your programs, children, communities, and families as though you are working for the Lord.

Because in reality, you are.

Moment of Kaizen:

• What is the personal “mission” or “vision” you have for your role as a coach?
• How do you share this mission or vision with your program?
• What do you do to remain true to these values, especially when you might have deviated from the true path of your calling?

Related Passage: “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)

The earthly desires of glory, titles, fame, etc. can obstruct our vision. They can impede us from focusing on our acts of kindness, humbleness, and love. When we serve our athletes as if we are serving God Himself, we are modeling a Christ-like life.

July 11, 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.