“Moral character makes for smooth traveling; an evil life is a hard life.” – Proverbs 11:5 (The Message) Do athletics build character? Many of us might laugh and say, “It must, because I sure have a lot of characters on my team!” But let’s get serious for a minute. As a coach, is building character an important part of your program?
“They were trying to intimidate us into quitting. They thought, “They’ll give up, they’ll never finish it.” I prayed, “Give me strength.” – Nehemiah 6:9 (The Message) As practice was about to begin, two coaches watched as players came out of the locker room and onto the field. One athlete caught their attention.
“Then He said to them all, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.” – Luke 9:23 (Holman Christian Standard) I am amazed at how sports have become ingrained in our everyday lives. We are never more than a few seconds away from the hot topics of the day. ESPN, team websites, blogs, and around-the-clock sports talk keep us connected to the never ending stream of information on teams, players and coaches.
Mike Singletary had it all. He was living the dream as one of the premier defensive players in the NFL. He was making a lot of money.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” – Romans 3:23 It doesn’t matter what level of greatness an athlete or coach achieves, there is no such thing as perfection. It’s impossible to win every championship. It’s impossible to break every record.