"The heart of her team trusts in her, and they will continue to prosper because of her" (Proverbs 31:11).
Trust is a firm reliance on the integrity, ability or character of a person or thing; a confident belief; faith. As a former college basketball player, I had a lot of feelings toward my coach: respect, fear, anger, love, hate.
But I did not trust in her! I know that as a team we never knew exactly what to expect, and she often motivated us through intimidation and tough-nosed discipline. I learned to compete hard, and I gave her my back, but I never gave her my heart because I couldn't truly trust hers. I'm grateful for the basketball skills I learned, but I can't help but grieve for the life-lessons that I could have learned.
This proverb highlights the potential supernatural benefits of the coach/player relationship that is based on trust. A coach who has personal excellence will develop trust-filled relationships with her players, and her players will continue to prosper because of her. She will build them up with her life-giving, nourishing, impactful and soul-satisfying character.
Proverbs 14:1 (NASB) says, "The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands." Does your team have trust issues? Are you a woman of integrity? Is there any area of your coaching that does not reflect your deep-seated faith? The challenge is to transfer our Christian convictions to the court, diamond or field each and every day, so that we can prosper our athletes for eternity.
Prayer
Lord, give me wisdom to be a master-builder, not a bulldozer!
