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.

Consequently, the best advice we could heed—and give—is not to strive for a trouble-free practice or season—nobody has that. Rather, in the midst of consuming troubles, Jesus invites us to experience the peace of His presence. Because it came from the Master, such advice is fool-proof, but the application is still up to us. Jesus told His followers that real and lasting peace would come when we walk with Him. And He offered this advice before He went to the cross. He had not yet “conquered the world.” Still, He guaranteed this ahead of time because He knew that “the punishment for our peace was on Him.”

Coaching may seem to be about victories, which are important. But real victory comes when we battle through the troubles with Jesus. If we want to win any contest, we must seek Him for peace. If we have no peace, it’s because we have no Jesus. But if we know Jesus, we know peace—regardless of what troubles come our way.