My friend Tim coaches a girls college soccer team. He called me up laughing. "These girls," he said, "are the absolute worst soccer players I've ever coached in my 40 years on the field. They have no skill, minimal ability, and hardly any motivation -- just a glorious mess!"
During their last scrimmage, things were going downhill fast. The team was losing terribly, and two-thirds of the players were crying. Tim asked them why they were crying. They said, "We're total losers, we'll never win, it's embarrassing, it's too hard, we're going to quit."
Before I continue with the story, it's worth noting that the Bible offers several lessons from sports. Scripture refers to running a race, boxing an opponent, and training for an event. See 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; 1 Timothy 4:8; 2 Timothy 2:5, 4:7; Hebrews 12:1-2. These verses use athletic metaphors to illustrate the importance of perseverance, discipline, and playing according to the rules of the game. The apostle Paul stresses that those athletes compete for a perishable wreath, but we compete for an imperishable crown.
Coach Tim was about to lose his team, so he desperately sought advice from another coach. The advice was simple: "Tell the girls to just go out on the field and have fun. It's called playing soccer, not suffering through soccer. Just play and have fun!"
As Tim shared this story, it struck me that this is how God coaches us in life. He says, "Unless you become like children, you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven," Matthew 18:3. What do children do? They play!
There are numerous childlike attributes that God wants us to have, including humility, faith and obedience, but another childlike characteristic that we should grow into is the ability to put aside worry, and stress, and just play. God wants us to have a joyful playfulness in life. Taking things too seriously hurts us physically, socially, mentally, and spiritually.
When we worry and stress and fear, it shows that we are not trusting God. When business and the cares of life rob us of our joy, humor, and playfulness, we are playing the game of life wrong.
May I say that again? When the cares of life rob us of our joy, humor, and playfulness, we are playing the game wrong. God wants to turn our mourning into joyful dancing. Psalms 30:11 and Philippians 4:4 say, "Rejoice in the Lord always." I will say it again: Rejoice!
So, Coach Tim told the girls to have fun playing soccer. Then, he announced a new way to keep score. "Anytime you move the ball into the opponent's half of the field, that's a point for us. And, anytime you advance the ball while in the opponent's territory, score or not, that's another point."
By the end of the game, although the opponents had technically won 16-0, the girls were laughing and excited. They had moved the ball into their opponent's field seven times and managed to kick and move the ball forward twelve times. With their new scoring method, they won 19 to 16! After practicing this new approach, the girls came to Tim and said, "Coach, we believe we're actually getting better, and we are motivated to keep trying."
"Friend, Coach Jesus teaches us to keep score differently than the world does." No more counting money, big houses, or fancy cars as the only measure of success. Instead, we get points for every act of forgiveness, every act of kindness, every prayer prayed for another person, every moment of gratitude to God.
Jesus said in Matthew 10:42, "Whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward." Jesus is not teaching that we do good works to earn our way into heaven but rather that we will be rewarded in heaven for the good works we do on earth.
When we spend time with others, help them, pray for them, and show them God's love through our words and actions, we are earning rewards and scoring against Satan. When we are on the job, in the store, at school, or with neighbors, and we tell them about what God has done for us, we are scoring against our opponent. We may look like losers to the world, but in God's eyes, we are the true winners in life.
In the end, Coach Tim's soccer team reminds us that success isn't always about winning in the conventional sense. It's about finding joy in the journey, minimizing stress, and embracing a childlike faith and worry-free spirit.
Just as Coach Tim encouraged his team to have fun and celebrate small victories, we too can learn to find joy in our daily lives, trust in God's plan, and remember that true success is measured by the love, kindness, and faith we share with others. Let's take a page from Coach Tim's playbook and approach life with a heart full of joy and a spirit ready to play.
Dan Matney is the pastor at New Life Assembly of God in Avon. Email him at [email protected].