Don't Give Up: Soccer Lessons 3

"It's hard to beat a person who never gives up" (Babe Ruth).

   In soccer it is very easy to feel defeated when you lose. As a JV coach it is also very easy to feel defeated in general. Many times I will get players who have never played soccer. Many times I will have less players than the other team so my girls will be more tired. Many times when there is a sliver of hope, because I have had a player improve so much, that player gets moved up to varsity and I have to find a new player for their position. Don't get me wrong, I love being a JV coach because I get to help build my player's foundations in soccer and see them grow. But, it's not easy at times.

   Over the years I looked at my JV team and I had to figure out a way to keep their spirits up. That's when I began using the quote: "It's hard to beat a person who never gives up" (Babe Ruth). Will we lose games? Yes. Will we play bad at times? Yes. But, we are never truly defeated unless we give up. If we give up in a game we are giving up on ourselves. We are giving up on the lessons we learn in that game. We are giving up on improving during that game which can make us better. On top of that, if you give up in a game, you will not have any chance of winning that game.

   In life, it is hard to not feel tempted to give up at times, especially if we get sukkerpunched with a lot of things at once. Maybe you have problems with a co-worker who just won't get off your back, maybe a friend is angry at you, maybe your child isn't doing well at school, maybe your family member is sick, or maybe because of many things you are beginning to lose your faith.

   Once again, you have a choice: you could give up or you could keep going on and keep fighting. It may be easier to give up but will giving up help you grow? Will giving up feel good? Probably not, which is why we have to keep fighting no matter how hard it is. Yes, you can start to feel down. You can vent to people. You can have a good cry. But, don't let any of those things impact you to the point where you feel it's okay to give up. If you choose to give up you are just defeating yourself.

   Galatians 6:9 says: "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." If we give up we will not reap the harvest. Your harvest may be different than someone else's on earth. But, true Christians are all working toward the same harvest: heaven. If we give up we are not giving God our best and others may not see Christ in you. That's why we can never give up.

   So, do you tend to give up when things get too hard? What can you do to stop yourself from giving up? How can you lean on God in order to not give up?
   Image from here.