Be Confident: Soccer Lessons

"Be confident, not cocky."

   When I played soccer in college there were 3 types of goalies: goalies who really didn't know what they were doing/were new, goalies who knew what they were doing and were cocky about it, and goalies who knew what they were doing but were not cocky they were confident. I remember one keeper in particular was particularly cocky. She would keep the ball at her feet a long time until one of our players ran up to her and almost hit her. She would yell in a mean tone at her teammates. She would run out at players to scare them. She did more, but you get my point.

   One day we were playing a game against them. It was our Homecoming day and we had to defend our field. My team came out swinging. We scored 7 goals that game against this keeper. She wasn't cocky that day. She was angry. She was angry at her team. She came into that game thinking her team was going to win and she would get another shut out. Instead she hurt her team more.

   That's the problem with being cocky: you think that you are the greatest thing since sliced bread and you can't own up to your own mistakes. Confidence is different. Confidence is different because of where, or who, it comes from. If you are confident it is most likely because you are doing something you've done for a long time. You have had practice because you know what you are doing. But, did you know that you can have confidence in everything that you do?

   2 Timothy 1:7 says: "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." We have power in the Lord. He walks with us each day. He guides our steps and wants us to follow him. If we follow his ways we can have confidence that he is with us. Now, that doesn't mean that we should be cocky because of this.

   James 4:10 says: "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you." If we exalt ourselves, then God will not exalt us. Cocky is the opposite of humble. There's a very fine balance between being confident in the Lord, yet humble, and being prideful. If we go around praising ourselves all the time, that's not humility. If we expect things and people to do things for us that's not humility, that's entitlement. You don't deserve anything you have. The only thing you deserve is death. BUT (this is where hope comes), because God sent his son to die for our sins we can have confidence. We have been redeemed and that's why we can be confident. That's why we should have confidence in the talents God gave us. That's why we should use our talents to reflect God's glory. He deserves all the honor.

   So, are you confident or cocky? Do you have confidence in God or in your own abilities? How can you reflect God's glory by showing humility today?

   Image from here.

A Christmas Challenge

   Children. What a blessing they are. Many of you know I am a teacher. I believe that statement that they are a blessing. But I also believe they can be a handful. Much if that is due to the fact that they have much to learn.

   Years ago I came up with an idea to help students remember/learn how to show the true meaning of Christmas. Why did I feel that it was important for students to learn this? Well, every year we do an Advent calendar to practice counting. And every year it becomes a tool for my students to use to count down when they get presents.

   Thus, instead of just counting down I came up with a challenge for each day of the count down to help students remember to show love, show care, and give to others rather than just ask for what they want.

  See, I've found something interesting. When we are young, we focus on the getting, unless we are shown otherwise. As we get older, that changes. I remember the first year I gave presents to my family. That year, I was excited about what I was going to get. But I was more excited about what I was going to give.

   Each year I love finding the perfect gift for someone. You know, that one that you know you'll see a smile on their face as they realize what you've gotten them.

   Well, God has given us all the perfect gift: salvation and eternity with him through his Son. That's the reason we celebrate Christmas. It's not for a countdown. It's not for the food. It's not the music. It's not the decorations. It's not even about family and friends. It's about getting the greatest gift. And remembering that, because of that gift, we are to use the gifts he has given us to show others his love.

   So, what's Christmas about to you? How can you spread the gift God has given you?

   John 3:16 and 1 Corinthians 12:4-6

Keep Your Head Up: Soccer Lessons

"Keep your head up."

   Soccer is very trying at times. You are tested physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally. It is especially difficult when you keep losing and messing up. That's when it is important to be mentally and emotionally stable. As previously mentioned, soccer is a team sport. If one person is having problems staying strong mentally and emotionally the rest of the team will probably suffer.

   I remember coaching a team that was losing very badly at the beginning of the season. I kept telling them many different things and teaching them things to help them improve. But, I told them "one thing I will not stand for is seeing your heads go down. Body language is a very important thing. As soon at someone puts her head down it's like we have given up. You are saying to your team that you have lost hope in them."

   That team never put their heads down during a game. They kept working hard for each other. They kept hope that they would improve and could still win. By the end of the season we were winning games because we kept our heads up.

   In life we will also have trying times. Romans 8:23-24 says:

"Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to son ship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."

   We have the greatest and only hope for this lost world: Jesus. We cannot see Jesus now, but we see his work. We know that we are children of God. We will receive his inheritance, which is eternal life with him. All of the trials and problems we go through in life on earth are temporary. If we make a mistake, Jesus washes us clean (that doesn't mean we should continue to sin James.4.7). That's where our hope comes from.

   That's why we don't need to hang our heads. Because, we have a father who sent his son to die for us. When we look down on ourselves we are looking down on what he created. We are looking down on his child. God loves us and finds us worthy through Jesus' work on the cross. We can keep our heads up because of that hope, no matter what trials we go through.

   So, do you have hope in Jesus? Do you beat yourself up too much? What can you do when you go through trials to remember that they are temporary; and that you have a hope in Jesus?
   Image from here.

Keep It Simple: Soccer Lessons

"Play simple, play smart."

   The basic goal of soccer is quite simple: to get the ball in the opposing team's goal. The difficulty in soccer is actually getting the ball up the field and into the goal. The reason that is difficult is because the opposing team has a pesky habit of stealing the ball from you or blocking your shot. It's simple to get the ball in the goal, but it isn't easy.

   Some teams have a problem of making it harder on themselves because certain players hold onto the ball too long, they don't pass at the right time, or they don't shoot at the right time. That's where the saying, "play simple, play smart" came from.

   In soccer, sometimes you end up facing your own net. Some players will try to turn the ball around to go the other way. Sometimes that works, many times it doesn't because the other team won't let you turn. Thus, why I tell my players to play simple. If my players pass the ball back to their teammate, that teammate can then send the ball forward easier. Now, when I finally got my team to understand playing simple, we then had the problem of people passing the ball back when the opposite team was there. Or, we would pass the ball around the same area too much. That didn't really help us get up the field. That's why I added to play simple, play smart.

   In life, we also have a goal. The meaning of life can be found in Matthew 5:16 "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." While we are here on earth, our purpose is simple: we are to reflect the light of God. It seems simple, because it is, but it isn't easy.

   We have trials every day where we have a choice: we can reflect God's glory or follow our own desires. That's where being smart comes in. We know we are to follow Jesus' example by following God's word. We need to be smart because our adversary will try to get us to slip up. We have a big adversary. It is impossible for us to defeat him. It's a good thing we don't have to because Jesus already did defeat him. If we walk with Jesus, spend time with him, pray, etc. It will be easier for us to know what is simple and smart. He will help us in the trials of life.

   So, do you know what your purpose in life is? Are you spending time with Jesus each day? Do you make simple, smart choices when you go through trials?
   Image from here.

Support Your Team: Soccer Lessons

"Get back to support your teammates."

   As stated before, soccer is a team sport. Even though there are different positions on the field, everyone plays defense and everyone plays offense. If the team doesn't transition between those two positions well then the team will not be successful. I've been a part of many teams. Some were good at getting up the field and back the field others were not.

   Once, I was playing in a championship game. There was less than a minute left in the second overtime. I had the ball and I needed to do a goal kick to send it out. I set the ball up as the clock was ticking down. My team had played 109 minutes of soccer and they were tired. All we had left was less than a minute and we would go to penalty kicks. All my team had to do was push past the pain and play a little bit longer. I kicked the ball out. It went to an area that was in between my teammate and one of the other team's players. My teammate didn't go to the ball. The other team's player did. She took some space, shot; the ball flew up, hit the crossbar, and went in the goal. The game was over. We lost.

That was my final NEAC soccer game. My teammate thought that she didn't need to get back because there were only a few seconds left. She didn't put a complete effort in; and, because of that, we lost. She chose not to support her team through the whole match.

   In life, we will have hard times. It is difficult to get through those hard times alone. That's why we aren't on earth alone. We are relational beings. It is important to support one another. Galatians 6:2 says: “Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." We are to carry other people's burdens. It's hard to carry certain burdens alone. That's why we are called to help. We can pray for that person, spend time with that person, or help in many other ways to help make that burden lighter.

   So, are you trying to carry burdens on your own? What can you do to help someone with his or her burden today?

   Image from here.

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.