“May all of the gifts and benefits that come from God our Father and the Master, Jesus Christ, be yours!” (1 Cor. 1:2, The Message)
When my son was younger, I coached in his basketball league. Back then, those first and second grade skills were so elementary. Coaching consisted of teaching children how to run up and down the court without falling down. Sometimes I showed the boys how to dribble, sometimes how to pass, but most of them just wanted to know how to make a basket.
Coaching is tough business. It doesn’t get any easier as children get older.
Now when I go to games, I get as much enjoyment out of watching the parents as I do the kids. There is screaming and yelling. There is a great deal of coaching going on from the stands. Everyone has an opinion.
There are many ways that we might help teenagers to understand how faith applies to their lives, but I’m sure that if Paul were alive today he would use sports analogies to teach these aspects of trust, confidence and using our gifts for God’s glory.
Each of us is still growing in grace and truth. We are trying to follow Jesus as our guide and friend. He has much to teach us, and there is always more to learn.
One of the most important aspects of our youth leadership is helping teenagers to learn the ways of Jesus. We can cheer. We can instruct. We can model. That’s coaching. Coaching can be fun, too. Especially when we see the results.
