Don't Ever Give Up!

Never Give Up!

If every week of our life had a theme, this one’s theme would be “Don’t Ever Give Up” and it even has a video to go with it.  This young man summarized exactly what our game was like this week (even though he was talking about his own game)  with enthusiasm that is just contagious! 

Watch the video at this link if you haven't seen it yet. Apollos Hester's Inspiration Speech (sorry couldn't get the video to embed with this slow internet connection).

But even more, God has shown us this week that He never gave up on us!  The trials and the pain we've gone through were to bring us into this moment. 

Last Friday night I witnessed a team make just about every mistake you can make in a football game.  I witnessed a team that no one in town could remember the last time they had ever beaten the opponent but all were for sure we’d never beaten them on the road!  They had hand-picked us to be their homecoming game because they always have the upper hand.  In some people’s mind’s the game was already won by them before it was even played BUT . . . .

Despite the 5 Turnovers we had, despite the many penalty yards and big plays being called back for holding on us, despite a dirty game by the opponent that didn’t catch the eye of the refs, despite anything and everything going wrong, our team did not give up!  Any thoughts of quitting were replaced with ways of being unrelenting!  The team did not give up! 

With 6 minutes to go in the 4^th quarter and us being down 14 to 15, with drives having  been killed by turnovers  time and time again, our boys got the ball with 92 yards separating them from the end zone and the victory.  They drove down the field flawlessly, chipping down the yardage a little bit at a time until the 43 second mark when they pounded in a 1 yard TD run for what would be the winning TD! 

Many teams we’ve seen would not have that kind of success because they are thinking of quitting when our team thinks of being unrelenting!  Our team in all 3 games has been unable to quit.  They might start out slow but by the end they have put too much into it to give up then!  The scoreboard in all but one of those games proved their efforts but to everyone in the stands you could tell the team didn’t quit in any of the games.

In some games it seems we get to a slow start for three quarters.  We battle through mistakes and adversity for 3 quarters but then somewhere in the 4^th quarter, we get it going.  92 yards and no mistakes when it mattered the most!  That’s what not giving up can do!  Not getting down on your mistakes but willing to go out and work hard to get it back, that’s what life is all about. 

Last winter, there was reason for us to give up after 3 years of starting off slow.  Not only where people down on us, we were down on ourselves.  When we really didn’t have any drive to go another year, when we didn’t feel like our heart would be in to this anymore, and when it seemed easier to quit than to fight, we stuck our neck out one more time and although not every game is a win on the scoreboard, every game is a blessing to us like it never has been before.   Watching this team play, gives me hope each day.  Our future doesn’t have to look like our past.  God has not given up on us and we won’t give up on doing His Will.  Never Give Up!  

Win Or Lose, We Are Still Us!

The last 12 months as a coaching family has been challenging to say the least.  We have experienced turmoil from where we left and walked into a place that accepts us with arms wide open.  The offense one town hated, the other loves.  The characteristics one place hated about us, this place loves.  And I'm sure as we go along what the other place liked about us this place won't.  In the midst of walking through the comments from both sides, I decided that neither side was right about who we are.  Regardless of what both sides had to say, we are still who we have always been.  Maybe a little more tired and worn but roughly the same.  I started seeking my identity in who God says we are rather than the fans.  Last year, I began telling my husband "Win Or Lose, We Are Still Us" before each game and after each game but the truth was who we were was being influenced more and more by the scoreboard and then eventually by the school board. We began believing we were not good enough and didn't measure up but then we hit a turning point and we aren't looking back.  This poem flowed out of my heart this evening. 

Win or Lose, We Are Still Us!

by Kim Stone

It doesn’t matter what the scoreboard reads

Validation like that isn’t one of our needs

 

It doesn’t matter what the fans think

Love us or hate us, minds can change in a blink

Jobs may be lost or obtained by the wins and the losses

But who we are isn’t wrapped around in those tosses

We may be thrown around from one place to another

But who we are as people is what takes us even further

So sit in the stands and love the play calls

Or choose to blame us if the team falls

I can assure you who we are isn’t measured by a scoreboard

Who we are isn’t even decided by a superintendent or a school board

We coach and we serve for an audience of One and that is it

The One that knows us and shows us a love that will never quit

Our audience of One expects more from us than winning a game

He expects us to lead others to Him and proclaim His name

Sometimes it takes a loss for Him to get the teams attention

Sometimes it’s a win where credit to Him gets more than a mention

 

It isn’t up to us as the coaches to decide how God will use the game

It’s up to us to prepare the team in every way in His name

So love us or hate us, the choice is yours to make

We hope you choose to honor God for your own sake

But win or lose we are still us - remains for certain

Our anchor of hope that reaches beyond the curtain

(Hebrews 6:19)

For James said that one who doubts is like a wave tossed by the sea

Living by others opinions will drown you and not set you free

(James 1:6)

So we choose to live by His word rather than the words of our fans

Because we are living out our life according to His plans

“Win or Lose, We Are still us!” will remain our anchor until we are done

As we continue to coach and to serve for our audience of One!