The summer I turned 13, I joined my hometown’s first ever girls’ lacrosse team. Around me was a motley crew of girls bored with other sports, disinterested social butterflies, and the faint of heart. As time progressed I found myself completely absorbed in the new game, building skill and smarts at a pace that surpassed my teammates.
Although I enjoyed the thrill of a new passion, I did not like my coach at all. He created plays for us to pass the ball around, but I couldn’t understand why he didn’t just tell my teammates to get the ball to me so I could go score goals. In my head, this was a flawless winning strategy! So I took matters into my own hands by playing every position on the field at once, assuring my weaker teammates would never touch (and lose possession of) the ball. I felt great, but Coach began pulling me out of games once I started my scoring crusades. I couldn’t believe it!
I was sure he had it out for me, and I was ready to quit the team. After practice one day, Coach asked to talk to me. I stayed reluctantly, expressing as much teenage indignation as possible. Coach explained that if he let me take control of the game every time, my skills as a leader were not growing and no other players were getting a chance to improve. “It doesn’t matter if we win or if we lose games. It’s about the team. When we win, we give the glory to God. When we lose, we give glory to God.” I was stunned by the conversation, and my understanding of being a team player as well as my respect for Coach completely reversed.
A veil was lifted. From that day on, whenever I was on the field and had a chance to either score by myself or give my teammate an opportunity to score, Coach would holler “Triple G! Triple G!” I would remember our talk and pass the ball off. Give the Glory to God.
For Personal Reflection: When have you had the chance to turn your success into an opportunity to give glory to God? How did you feel afterwards?
✧ Nativity Building: Place the magi in another room. These travelers remind us that Jesus’ followers would be from all nations. We will celebrate with JOY on the day when people of all nations, together, will worship Jesus as King of all Kings.
by Emily Capp
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