Most coaches have heard the phrase “the coaches’ widow.” Among football coaches, that phrase is explained with the following admonition: “Kiss your wife in August and tell her you’ll see her in December.” That’s the motto that most coaches live by in our culture. Funny thing is, Christ never challenged us to do what “most people” do. As Christians, we are called to live to a higher standard—to create a new normal in our culture.

God doesn’t always work the way we think He should. Sometimes the things that we think are tragedies turn out to be blessings. In the Bible, Joseph serves as the perfect example of tragedy-turned-blessing. When Joseph received a dream foreshadowing his role to reign over his brothers, his brothers grew angry and sold him into slavery. When Joseph was later falsely accused of a crime and thrown into prison, it seemed that his dream would never come true.

As this young leader was about to lose his daughter, Jesus gave him three steps to overcome fear—a process that applies to us as well. (1) “Don’t be afraid.” This phrase is mentioned 365 times in Scripture. (2) “Only believe.” Believe that Jesus is more than capable of handling any situation. (3) “She will be made well.” When we obey His teaching not to be afraid and believe He is capable of handling any circumstance, we will come out just fine.

Whether you are facing a larger opponent, an opponent with a better record, or an opponent from a larger school, follow these steps and God will help you with your fear. Remember, God doesn’t care about the scoreboard as much as He cares about the attitude of your heart.

It’s interesting how we can take just about anything in life and use it for good or evil. James 3 illustrates how fire can be good or evil. It only takes a small spark to set a forest on fire and yet what is more soothing on a cold winter night than sitting before a crackling fire that radiates a comforting heat? Is fire good or evil?

Perhaps more than anyone else, we coaches can appreciate the athletic imagery used in the Bible. The writer of Hebrews encourages his readers to “run the race” that is set before them, and from his words we can draw four encouragements as we run the spiritual race of faith set before us.

When I played football as an 8 year old, I remember parents pulling their cars up and shining their lights on the field when practice ran late. As players, we saw the light.

As athletes we need to SEE the light. SEE stands for Sleep, Eat, and Exercise. This kind  of light deals with our God-created bodies. Many competitors train hard on the field, but not off it. As true  competitors, we need to get enough sleep, eat right, and exercise properly. These three physical anchors are extremely important.

When trying to SEE the light, we need to ask:

“How much sleep do I need?” Since the physical affects the spiritual and emotional, if we do not sleep, other areas of life will suffer. When we are tired, we cannot be the athletes God desires.

As a coach, I used to love preseason practice. (As a player I could have done without it.) I loved working with the players and coaches, the camaraderie of being part of a team, and the anticipation of opening night. Preseason was always electrifying.

Then came the first game. The scoreboard was turned on, and a new element was added—the element of stress.

Trouble often seems to be waiting around every corner of daily life, especially for coaches. Whether it’s a troubled player, an unfair referee, a nagging parent, or an unreasonable principal, coaches can count on difficulties. Trouble comes with the territory!

Jesus never pretended that life would be a vacation cruise. “You will have suffering,” He told His disciples. In fact, difficulties are guaranteed, an inevitable part of living in a fallen world. Jesus didn’t deliver the trouble; He just knew it was coming.

Christian parents warn their children to stay away from harmful movies, television shows, peers, Web sites, and other such influences, only to dump them into the world of sports that typically contains all the negative things they have told their children to avoid.