So much in sports is related to the eyes. A ball is dropped because a player takes her eyes off the ball at the last minute. A batter misses the pitch because he fails to keep his eye on the ball. As a coach you’ve likely cautioned your players, “Keep your head up,” so that an athlete will look at the right thing in order to avoid injury and be most effective.

Coaches are a lot like the Apostle Peter. We may get the season off to a good start but as the weeks progress, we often find ourselves looking at the winds of difficulty that blow throughout the season. If we look at these winds, we cannot also be looking at Jesus, and if we aren’t looking at Jesus, our walk of faith will seem dry and unfruitful. Scripture warns that one of the causes for spiritual barrenness is “the worries of this age” (Mk 4:19).

Prayerfully focusing on God’s Word is the key for coaches in formulating the best possible game plan, one that involves keeping our eyes on Jesus even during the most intense moments. This was a plan that Jesus modeled. We read, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up, went out, and made His way to a deserted place. And He was praying there” (Mk 1:35). Whatever time we schedule to be apart with God will enable us keep our eyes focused amidst the waves of busy and stressful seasons.