“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22:6 NIV
I am starting this post as I sit between practice courts 1 & 2 at the US Open. I’ve been watching world number one Rafael Nadal practice for the past 1/2 hour.
This is the first time I’ve come to this tournament as a coach. It has struck me how it has changed my perspective drastically. The last time I was here I was a player. I viewed it as a player.
As a player, you are only thinking about yourself. How can I apply this to
my life? How can I be better?
As a coach, you’re thinking about others. How can I apply this to my students? How can I make them better?
As a player, the pictures I took were for me. The videos were for me. As a coach they are for my students. I’m getting all I can so I can take it back to them. So I can help them start out right. So as they grow into the game they will have the right foundation.
Being a player helped me learn and apply it to myself, as a result I can help others do the same.
My walk with Christ is similar. I have to get in the game, read the Scriptures, figure out what God is telling me. I have to learn how to study it and apply it to my life. The more I do this, the easier it is for me to help others do the same.
I love learning God’s word and applying it. I love even more helping others do the same.
Here’s the caveat, in order to be a good coach, I’ve got to keep
playing the game. I’ve got to keep teaching myself so I can then teach others.
Life is the same way. Every day I’m faced with new challenges. Every day I seek God to help me deal with them. He always has a solution. Often it is not at all what I would think, but always there.
He never wastes it. What He teach’s me, He often gives me the opportunity to share with others. To help them deal with the same thing. As long as I stay open to His leading. As long as I stay hungry for His word and humble in His presence, He can use me. Not always the easiest thing to do, but definitely worth it.
The most important part is getting the right foundation so you can build on it. Start them out right and they will grow the right way.
Are you building the right foundation? It’s always the first step!
