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The Coach’s Voice The
morning was sunny, yet chilly, and Esther was chattering cheerfully at the
breakfast table. She was reminiscing about a basketball game she had played
last year at her school. The subject of my own basketball history came up, and
I reminded her that in the game of basketball, I was a better coach than
player. I tried hard, but I have more trophies under my belt for coaching than
I ever had for playing. She recalled the difficulty and confusion she had experienced
on the court, as she tried to listen to all the voices shouting helpful, and
not so helpful, advice from the sidelines. “You
know,” I said wistfully, “basketball is a lot like our Christian life.” I did
not think I was in the pontificating mode, but Esther rolled her eyes, and
Joseph stated, “Here it comes,” so I dutifully gave them the sermon they were
expecting. It is true, however, that basketball and the Christian
life are very similar. Esther was distracted by all the voices telling her what
to do on the court. One voice was her coach, another was her friend, another
was another teacher’s husband, and some were the opponents. She had a hard time
figuring out which voice to listen to and follow, and she wanted to do the
right thing. Several times she just stopped and looked at her coach. When she
did that, the play went past her and she missed out. There is a time and place
to look the coach in the eye. It is in the huddle, or a fleeting moment at the
sideline, but in the heat of the contest, you need to hear and recognize the
voice. I told Esther there are two things to focus on when
playing basketball. First, the coach’s voice, and second, the team and play on
the floor. As a player, one has to recognize the coach’s voice. One has to be
able to tune in on that voice, and pick it out of the crowd, to focus on it.
The player has to be listening for it. He/she knows the coach’s voice. The
players have been programming it into their minds in each of the practices.
They can distinguish it from all others, and when they hear it, they pay
attention. The other thing to focus on in the game is the rest of
your teammates. A good basketball team knows where each other are. They can
anticipate where they will each be and how they will react and respond. Even
though there may be one or two really outstanding shooter on the team, who can
swish those 3-pointers every time, basketball is a team sport, and without the
team, the individual shooter is nothing. So a basketball player has to focus on the team on the
floor and the voice of the coach. If she stops to make eye contact with the
coach while she is in the midst of the fray, she risks a turnover, or the play
passing her by. She has to tune in to the voice of the coach. In Life, as followers of Christ, we focus on
the same two factors- our teammates in the game of Life for Jesus, and the
voice of our Coach. We can study the playbook, and know the general plan, but
on the court, in the heat of the battle, we have to be able to tune out the
crowd (which may be trying to be
helpful, or perhaps not so helpful) and tune in to the Coach. If we cannot tune
in only to the coach on the basketball court, we make costly mistakes, get
distracted, and loose our purpose. Similarly, if we cannot tune in only the
voice of our Heavenly Coach in Life, we can do the same. We do not learn the voice of the coach over night. That
is why those students have so many practices!
We learn the voice of our Divine Coach through practice, also. Learning
to focus on the voice of the Coach is essential. However, the practices and
the playbook also serve to prepare us for the game. Basketball players, as well
as players in Life practice how to execute the plans, what to do if those plans
are blocked, alternatives to the plan, and how to regroup and try again. It
takes the focus and teamwork of all the players together. Just as a basketball
game is fluid and ever changing, so is Life. The team of fellow Christians we
are joined together with in this Life is like the team on the floor. We know
the opponents will not allow us to simply charge down the court, set up the
play and execute it without interference. That is not what opponents do; and in
the game of Life, we have opponents. We, however, are part of a team- God’s
team for our time and place in the world, and by practicing with our team, and
working together as a unit, we can face the opponents, carry out the plan, and
score victories. The key is knowing how to regroup and attack the basket again,
and we will know how to do that by tuning all else out but the voice of the
Coach. “So remember,” I concluded to Esther, “learn the voice of
your coach, and focus on it; and learn to be a team player.” When the team
wins, the individuals together can celebrate. When you are facing the challenges of the game of your
Life, remember your teammates are in it with you, and zero in on the voice of
the Coach.
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