Coaching Football's "Little Things"

This came as a real revelation to me recently… and I wanted to share it with you guys who read this blog. Ready? Here goes:
Before God gives you more, He observes you with what you have!
Furthermore, when He intevenes in your life it’s like a seed; it needs time to take root and sprout. So don’t get in a hurry. Patience develops in us the ability to stand up to the pressures that accompany blessing. Look back. Aren’t some of the things you’ve been through the very things that have equipped you to handle what you are dealing with right now? Had God given it to you sooner, you couldn’t have handled them. He loves you too much to let that happen. I love the story of the little boy who saw the butterfly fighting, pushing and squeezing his way out of his cocoon. He felt sorry for the little butterfly so he decided to help him. The boy pulled back pieces of the cocoon to allow the young butterfly to escape without having to struggle so much. Upon getting free of his cocoon, the butterfly attempted to fly. He couldn’t even spread his wings…. and slowly tied right there on the branch of the tree.

The little boy, distraught over what had happened, ran to his grandfather to show him the dead butterfly. He explained to his granddad how he’d tried to help the butterfly. With the wisdom that only God can bestow, the old man sat the boy on his knee and explained: “Son, you thought you were helping the butterfly by making his struggle easier. But, God developed things this way and the butterfly needs to fight his way all the way out to build the strength in his wings to be able to fly when he’s finished. Sometimes we have to struggle through things to be able to reap the blessing at the end.”

Think about this: if you’re having difficulty handling criticism from a few people, how would you do if God made you a head coach at a large high school (or college) or a company president or the principal of your school? Are you ready to pay the price? And, more importantly, are you able to pay the price?! The more God gives you, the more He holds you responsible for it. Jesus made a strong statement when he said: “No man should build without counting the cost first.”

Sometimes we want things because others have them. You say you want something, but are you ready to handle the responsibilities that come with it? It’s going to require you to give of yourself—- maybe sacrificially! There’s a tempatation to want something because we think it will better our lives. As the old saying goes: be careful what you ask for! You may get it!

I thought I was ready to be a high school head football coach after being an assistant for 12 years. WOW! Did I get a rude awakening. I wasn’t even close to being prepared for all of the responsibilities that go with being a head coach. But, God helped me to persevere. And on the way, I learned…. how to do the little things and how to overcome difficulties. I learned to trust in Him more each day.

Whatever you are going through today, there is great peace in knowing that nothing can preempt God’s plan for you. So, “Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act! Keep traveling streadily along his pathway and in due season he will honor you with every blessing” (Psm. 37:34). He has blessed me with this new head coaching position at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy. I am ready to see what He wants to teach me. I am rejoicing— you should too! God is getting us ready!