When I was a young coach I soon learned that if you wanted to be part of the “real” coaching fraternity, you had to attend the Coach of the Year Football Clinic at the Jack Tar Hotel in San Francisco that was held each year in February. The big-name college coaches would speak on various aspects of the game that they excelled in. Offense, defense, special teams - there were many coaches ready to tell you how they had a system of play that wouldn’t fail. If you went to their session and listened and took notes, you were learning from the best. One thing I learned very early was that football knowledge wasn’t the only thing that many coaches were seeking. I had to determine early on what I desired from these clinics, or finally, if I even wanted to attend at all. I don’t know if it was a direct result of my experience at these clinics, but it was about that time that some coaches began to meet every Tuesday morning before school for “Bible Study”. It wasn’t just football coaches. Coaches from all different sports began to come. There were times when there might be four or five and other times there might be fifteen or more coaches. After we had some breakfast, we would read a passage of scripture and talk about “how do these words relate to coaching your sport?” Some good discussion usually followed. Two things I remember about those breakfast meetings: first, all those guys were seeking answers to questions far deeper than “can I win if I’m a Christian?” and second, they were all seeking a deep friendship with other men who loved sports and loved God.
One coach, in particular, had resisted coming to the Bible study for a long time. When he did come, he brought a keen intellect and asked some really hard questions. Some lively give-and-take resulted. It was many weeks, maybe even months, of coming to the studies and then attending church with some of the coaches before he was satisfied that what he was seeking could only be found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Rodger told us one Tuesday morning that while they were singing “It Is Well with My Soul” at the previous Sunday’s service, he realized it was not well with his soul at all and that he had asked Jesus to come into his life and be his Savior and Lord. Do you think that Rodger became a better high school coach and won more championships because of that decision? No, what actually happened was that he left high school coaching. Through a series of life changing events, Rodger began and developed and now leads a successful ministry that encourages churches around the world to include sports as part of their ministry to their communities.
It is not strange to me that I should think of this story here at the Christmas season. Regardless of what else Christmas tells us about, it was a story of seeking. The shepherds left their flocks to seek for the baby the angels told them about. The wise men traveled a great distance seeking to find the baby who was born King of the Jews. As those who were seeking for something that first Christmas, Rodger was seeking what could only be satisfied in the Christ of Christmas. Psalm 37:4 is true beyond our ability to comprehend: “Seek your delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
As coaches, we should also think about the words from another Psalm. In Psalm 90:14, it says: “Satisfy us in our earliest youth with your mercy, giving us constant joy to the end of our lives.” Jesus came that first Christmas to give us mercy. And not just mercy, but constant joy, as well. It is my prayer that all of the Valley Christian coaches, and teachers, and staff, who read this are experiencing God’s mercy and joy this Christmas. And, it seems to me, a very big part of our joy is helping our athletes---all our students---find this joy in their “earliest youth”. Seek to find ways to share this gift as you coach and teach and serve. It isn’t a Christmas carol, but the words are true: “I’d rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today!”
Coach Hitch
