Doubting Yourself: Soccer Lessons

"Don't doubt yourself."

   A coach is so much more than just someone who shows someone how to play a sport. A coach is a teacher, sometimes a doctor, a leader, an encourager, a friend, a role model, and so much more. One area that I have found that coaches need to be more of nowadays is an encourager.

   One year I was coaching a team that had lost every game and we were halfway through the season. I saw a player sitting on the bench after a game when all other players had gone home. I went up to her and asked her what was wrong. She said she was discouraged because she felt she wasn't playing well and she had never lost so much in a season. That's when I had to put on my encouragement hat as a coach.

   I reminded her that we were a brand new team. I had many girls who hadn't played before. Many of the girls hadn't ever played with each other before either. I said, because of my experience in soccer, I didn't really mind losing. What I did mind is if we didn't put forth our best effort. I then asked her if she had done her best in the game. She said, "yes." I said, "that's all I ask."

   I then pointed out that not only had she improve herself, but we had improved as a team. We weren't losing by much anymore. And, we were completing passes up the field in order to get scoring opportunities. I told her "we will get there at some point. Stop doubting the team and your own abilities. Try to focus on what we have accomplished as a team rather than what we haven't. Make it your goal to get better every day. Then you will help us reach our team's potential." She agreed and went about doing what I asked.

   In life, we also will have doubts. We aren't perfect. We are going to mess up. But, if we focus on what we cannot do or didn't do then we are hurting ourselves. To make matters worse, we are not just hurting ourselves but those around us who work with us and love us. These people care about us and want us to succeed.

   As if that's not enough if we doubt ourselves we are hurting our creator. Philippians 2:13 says: "For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." God gave us our abilities. He wants us to use them to reflect his glory. He doesn't want us to grumble or complain about what we cannot do. If we fail or fall he is with us to pick us back up. That's how much he loves us. That's why he doesn't like it when we hurt ourselves by doubting our abilities. He gave us those abilities and he wouldn't have done that if he didn't believe in us to use them.

   So, do you doubt yourself too much? What can you do to encourage someone today? How can you reflect God's glory today?

   Image from here.