God's Coaching #206

God's Coaching #206

Hawaii’s Molokai Channel is considered one of the most challenging and treacherous stretches of water in the world. It’s filled with big ocean swells and unpredictable waves and wind. These 32 miles of water between Molokai and Oahu consistently test the best paddleboarders in the world. At the 2010 paddleboarding championship, Australia’s Jamie Mitchell proved he was still the “King of Paddleboard.” Jamie won his ninth consecutive Molokai-2-Oahu World Paddleboard title on this day. Despite extremely challenging conditions, Jamie finished the race in four hours, 52 minutes, and 45 seconds—just four minutes slower than the record time he had set in 2007.

In the women’s race, Kanesa Duncan-Seraphin proved she was equally dominant. The Hawaiian paddleboarder won her eighth title, with a time just over six hours.

What’s the Score?

Jamie earned his title of “King of Paddleboard.” From 2002 through 2010, he rarely lost a race. And he was a perfect nine-for-nine at the world championships.

The apostle Paul encouraged the Christians in Corinth to “try to be perfect” (2 Corinthians 13:11, NIrV). Perfection doesn’t come naturally. Just ask Jamie. It takes hard work. Even though the Molokai-2-Oahu race took place in July, he started seriously training in March. Waking up at 5 a.m., Jamie swam every day and then went on a long paddle (often more than 30 miles) each week. It takes similar effort to strive for perfection in our faith. We’ll never be completely perfect until we reach heaven with Jesus, but until then we can work to become more like him. We need to build our spiritual muscle by reading the Bible and praying—even if that might mean waking up early every morning. We need to train ourselves to do the right thing by always telling the truth and by trying to follow God’s laws. By putting in hours of effort and making good choices, we can see ourselves moving closer to perfection.

On the Ball

Even though no human can achieve perfection, you should strive to grow more like Jesus by knowing and following God’s commands. Is there an area of your life that you need to work on? Maybe you struggle with anger, lack of patience, or pride. Through God’s love and peace, you can conquer this area and live more like Jesus—which is perfect.

Coach’s Comment

Try to be perfect. Pay attention to what I’m saying. Agree with one another. Live in peace. And the God who gives love and peace will be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11 (NIrV)