The Coach's Voice

by Laura Kuester

1-28-04

Come here and listen to me. I will pour out the spirit of wisdom and make you wise. Proverbs 1:23

I recently attended my five year old son’s first basketball game. It was crazy and chaotic but so incredibly cute. These five year olds really had no idea what to do when the game began but by the time the game was over it was amazing the transformation that had taken place. The game was close and I noticed a lot of people shouting and cheering and giving their children directions on what to do. By the way, there were two other games going on in this gym simultaneously so needless to say it was LOUD!  I heard the coach say, “Come on Dylan watch your man, guard him’. Another adult spoke up saying, “Get your hands up, block him, block him”. Still another voice from his daddy, “Come on buddy, you can do it”.  Then I heard the coach say, “Dylan, listen to ME”. I saw a look of frustration on my son’s face. Later that night I asked him about his first game and what he thought about it. He said, “I couldn’t make up my mind who to listen to! I couldn’t tell which one was the coach’s voice.”

This situation provided me with two important lessons- one for my son and one for me. For my son, I explained that in order to discern the coach’s voice, he needed to stop, be still, and look at his coach. I encouraged him to listen to that voice only and learn to recognize it so he could always here it above the rest. And then, the most important part, to obey his coach’s words. Even though all the others meant well, it was his coach that he needed to listen to and obey. Then he would be a wiser and better basketball player.

My lesson was much like my son’s but with eternal ramifications. How often am I guilty of not listening to my coach’s voice? In the book of Proverbs, God says, “Come here and listen to me! I will pour out the spirit of wisdom upon you and make you wise.” So often I get busy….too busy to stop and “come here and listen” to the voice of my Coach, my God, whose voice is really the only one that matters. Just like Dylan, sometimes when I do not slow, I hear many voices.  Friends, family, books, television and others mean well but can never take the place of He who is in authority of me. In Hebrews 2:1, we are told to listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.

In order to listen very carefully to anyone, I must first silence everything else around me. Then and only then can I determine the one and only voice of my Coach.

I shared this lesson with my son and told him how an ordinary basketball game proved to be such an important life lesson to us both.

Father-

Help me to guard my time and focus on what you are saying to me. Slow me down when I get too busy to hear your voice. I trust you to give me the wisdom I need in this game of life. Help me to listen learn and obey your word. Amen