We’ve all heard the expression – “that kid would run through a wall for his coach”. What if we had a whole team of kids who would run through a wall for us? Wouldn’t that be sweet? Those kids would practice harder, train harder, maximize their potential to play better, and put themselves in the best possible position to win every time they took the field or court. Is it possible to have a whole team that buys into a coach’s program to the point where they all give maximum effort with a great attitude all the time? If so, how do we get there?It took time, but Jesus got there. He took 12 guys who were by all accounts pretty average (at best). He spent three years emptying Himself into those guys, and stayed patient as they waffled between success and some really ugly failure. After His resurrection, after He appeared to them over a period of 40 days, He left them on their own. But they weren’t on their own, since in Acts chapter 2 the Holy Spirit comes on the scene and takes these believers and many more and infuses them with a supernatural courage and conviction that defies explanation. Take 10 minutes and read Acts 2-5 (click here to read it) and see if you’ve ever seen a more remarkable turnaround story. They go from huddling together in secret to taking on the world. The Bad News Bears and the Cleveland Indians of “Major League” have nothing on the original followers of Jesus when it comes to unlikely success. At the end of their lives, 11 of the original 12 disciples were executed for their Christian faith. That's running through a wall if I've ever seen it.
So what does that have to do with me? Plenty, I believe. I can apply this to my life as a Coach, as I lead and guide athletes to discover what they’re capable of. My coaching must be infused with plenty of patience and love, while never wavering from the belief that every player individually and our program collectively are capable of achieving more than we could imagine. I must communicate that belief out loud to everyone involved in our program. Then I must be patient as each player learns to trust me and trust themselves to the point where they will run through walls - not because they have to, but because they are glad to.
I can also apply this to my pursuit of God. I don't want to spend time with God out of obligation. Doing something because I have to takes most of the joy out of it. And the more I think about it, while there's certainly something to be said for discipline and routine, I don't think God's all that interested in having me show up just because I'm supposed to. If my 11-year old came to me and said, "OK Dad, I know you made that dumb rule about how we have to play catch in the yard for 10 minutes every day, so here I am" that would be totally lame. I'd rather skip it if that's his attitude. I think God wants to take me to the place where every moment of every day is infused with His presence and everything I do is intended for His glory. As that becomes the reality of my existence, opportunities to have focused alone time with God don't seem like a duty, but maybe more like a chance to slow down and catch up with a great friend. Who wouldn't enjoy that? God is leading me to a place where I would gladly do anything for Him, because my life is so caught up in Him that there's no distinction between the 'regular' things I do (like eating, driving, washing dishes or coaching football) and the 'Christian' things I do (like praying or Bible reading). It's ALL for His glory. I want Jesus to say, "that guy would run through a wall for Me."
80's Lyric
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