Facing the Giants

My first year of coaching was with a football program at a small Christian school. I believe there were only 20-22 players on the team. We were lacking size and had average speed. With only so few players, most of the starters played "iron man" football. A few players played the whole game on defense, offense, kick off and kick return. Would you be willing to bet those players were both physically and mentally spent by half time, much less the end of the game?

These players knew how much dedication and preparation it would take just to finish the game. Winning was the goal, but simply finishing the game was a win within itself. I recall, before every game, one player was selected to give a bible study of sorts. The story of David defeating Goliath was a big influence with this group as well as the story of Joshua and the Israelites tearing down the walls of Jericho. There was also a viewing of Facing the Giants, a movie about a football coach and his team defeating all odds and winning the championship simply by giving themselves over to the LORD.

The team I was coaching needed these Biblical truths in the hearts and minds so they could go out and compete on a weekly basis without feeling defeated from the get go. That season, we went 3-9, however, I watched many of the "boys" turn into "young men" throughout the season. Playing through cuts, bruises and even injuries, these kids will probably remember that season for the rest of their lives simply because they learned the words of Christ and never gave up.