God's Coaching #250

God's Coaching #250

Angel McCoughtry was on fire. The Atlanta Dream’s star forward had enjoyed a fantastic 2010 WNBA regular season, averaging 21.1 points to finish as the league’s third-highest scorer. But on this night—game two of the Eastern Conference Finals on September 7, 2010—she was otherworldly, doubling her regular-season average and setting a WNBA play-off record with 42 points in a 105–93 win over the New York Liberty that sent the Dream to its first WNBA Finals.

Angel continued her superhuman pace in the finals against the Seattle Storm, averaging 25 points over three games. In fact, in game three, she poured in a WNBA Finals–record 35 points and nearly rallied Atlanta to victory with nine points in the final 2:30 of the game. But it wasn’t enough. Seattle held on for an 87–84 victory to win its second league championship.

What’s the Score?

Angel’s impressive performance in an overall losing effort by her team is a good reminder of an important spiritual truth. Life isn’t always going to work out the way we hope, even when we give our best effort. In a fallen world, occasional failure is just a fact of life.

But that’s okay. The final score is not ultimately what should inspire us. No matter what we do, our motivation should never come from a desire for personal glory, worldly success, or any other selfish reasons. Winning is not the top priority. We are called to honor God in every aspect of our lives, regardless of the outcome. Whether it’s sports, school, or other activities, God wants us to give our best effort for him. We should strive for excellence in everything because God gave us our talents and it glorifies him when we use them to the fullest.

On the Ball

Make a list of how you can glorify God in your favorite activities and hobbies. Review that list before you participate in each one.

Coach’s Comment

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV)