As a former
coach, I have lots of stories. Some
happy, some sad, some exciting. I
remember one in particular . . .
My team, ranked
in state, had to play another team in our conference that was ranked above
us. Both teams had a “feature”
player. Both teams had a solid core of
talent. By any account, it was to be an
exciting game and as you can imagine, the gym was packed.
While the junior
varsity team played their game, I wandered into the locker room and was
surprised to see “my star player” sitting on a bench in front of a locker by
himself, holding his head in his hands.
I thought he was just getting himself ready, getting himself fired up.
I sat down next
to him and asked something like, “Are you ready?” He took has hands away and I noticed he was
weeping. He said, “Coach, I think I’m
going to choke.” Not what I had expected
to hear. Not what any coach wants to
hear, especially just before an important game- one that would eventually
decide the conference championship.
He was honest
and sincere. He was also genuinely
afraid. And yes, in his own words, he
choked. Probably his worst game. We got killed. Not just because of this young man. Not at all.
The team we played had a powerhouse, a juggernaut that went on to
compete at the state tournament. But we
got killed and this young man didn’t play well at all.
You might say he
lived up to his expectations.
Remember the
story about David and Goliath? I don’t
know if it is or was a true story, but like many such stories, there is a point
to it and one can take something from it . . . if one chooses to, that is.
David was just a
boy. He volunteered to take on this
beast, this giant of a man. David tried
to wear the king’s armor, but because David was so small, nothing fit. The armor would have been more of a hindrance
than a help, so David went into combat only wearing the simple cloak he had on.
Not sure what
weapon Goliath used. Spear or sword,
perhaps. As big as I picture Goliath to
be, perhaps just his bare hands.
David’s
weapon? A slingshot and a few stones. Hmmmm . . .
Not sure what
the king was thinking. Not sure what
Goliath’s king was thinking. Not sure
what Goliath was thinking.
Mostly, I’m not
sure what David was thinking. A boy vs.
a man. A little guy vs. a big man. A slingshot?
Really? You’ve got to be kidding,
right?
As a coach, I
went into games with the crew I had to work with. As I look back, we mostly did all right. Actually, far better than just all right.
However, there
were those games when, honestly, I sort of felt like how David’s king must have
felt.
But that got me
thinking . . .
Goliath was
David’s second battle. I think David had
a much tougher battle before he ever fought Goliath.
I think David’s
First Battle was a battle with himself.
He had to face, confront and defeat his own fear. Sometimes fear is a very formidable
opponent. Fear is insidious. It sneaks up on us and takes us by the throat
and throttles us mercilessly. It
incapacitates us. Renders us weak,
befuddled, ineffective. Fear renders us
powerless, sometimes freezing us in place preventing us from moving forward or
backward.
But David won
his First Battle. He overcame his
fear. He defeated his fear. And as the story is told, he defeated Goliath
and saved his nation. Probably saved his
king a ton of embarrassment, too.
Oh, and the
young man I mentioned earlier who wept before the big game?
He might have
lost that battle, that first battle. But
he overcame it a second and third time, not just one time.
You see, he went
on to receive a football scholarship to a huge Midwest Division One college team
that you’ve all heard of. He went on to
get himself drafted into the NFL. He
went on to play for two teams and had a nice career as a linebacker. A very gifted athlete this young man was. Who had to, at one time or another . . . just
like each of us has to at one time or another . . . win his, win our, First
Battle. The battle over fear. Something to think about . . .
Live Your Life,
and Make A Difference!
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Thank you for your comment. I welcome your thought. Joe