During a recent chat with a small group of colleagues/friends, we were discussing the impact an area legendary coach has had on so many individuals over the years. John Dyer is a coaches coach, a stand up man, driven by his faith to coach young men not only for the sport of basketball, but more so for the game of life. Coach Dyer's passion and fire are easily noticed, and his quiet, calm demeanor when you have a conversation with him, assures you that he is driven by a higher force in his coaching and the life he lives. Two nuggets of wisdom came out of the small group's conversation and I'd like to share those with you today. First, Dr. Jeff Moorehouse shared a statement that resonated so well with my own coaching philosophy, "You can coach players for a season, or you can coach them for life". How true that statement is. The second quote was also provided by Jeff, as it one hundred percent supports and validates the previous thought. I paraphrase, "You can count the number of apple seeds in an apple, but you can never even estimate the number of apples that exist in each of those seeds". Wow, coaches, parents, managers, teachers, and everyone else that "coaches" someone or a group of someones, that one really placed the exclamation point on the idea of coaching for life rather than just a season. Let's slice that apple a bit and delve into the act of sowing seeds and then reaping the fruit of our labor.
If you've followed my Flat Tire Ministries journey for any time at all, you have most likely read that I believe we are all coaches/teachers in life. The dividing factor is some are coaching up, while unfortunately, others tend to pull people down through their intentional or sometimes unintentional methodologies. The basic fact today is that in most cases we all coach/teach for life, not just for a season. Even if it is a sports season the impact that coach will make on the athletes he coaches will impact their lives for generations to come. I wish there was some way to categorize different types of coaches, but honestly, life is about people teaching other people, which in turn teaches the other people how to, or how not to, coach others.
Parents coach their toddlers as they free their grip on the coffee table to take that first monumental step. Supervisors or administrators train up and reinforce their teachers as they shape their instructional and relational repertoire. In turn, teachers then relay academic concepts to their students, helping them obtain an education that will propel them forward to postsecondary success. Employees are trained by managers, and apprentices are mentored by skilled professionals. I suppose you could sum this concept up by saying life is not about what you do, but more about how many others you teach to do what you do. The scripture is true and applicable to this coaching/teaching lesson, "...it is better to give than to receive" Acts 20:35.
And how exactly does the concept of giving being better than receiving fit into the strategy of sowing apple seeds to harvest apples? Well, when Paul was writing to the church in Corinth, he made it clear that what you sow is exactly what you will reap. II Corinthians 9:6 tells us, "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." In whatever way we are coaching/teaching, the more seeds we plant the higher the potential for a bountiful harvest of apples will exist.
As we started out our time together today, I shared an inspirational quote that equates the number of seeds we plant to the maximum potential each of those seeds has to produce apple trees that will provide a bountiful harvest of apples. We are directly and indirectly responsible for planting those seeds in the lives of those we influence through teaching, coaching, mentoring, and the example we set before the world in which we live. The catch 22 here is that we will plant seeds regardless of our intentions, either good seeds that produce a bountiful harvest of the next generation of leaders that will expand the impact you planted in their lives, or the seeds you plant will produce discord, hatred, malice, and self-absorption. Here again, the Apostle Paul doesn't mince words about the impact of the seeds we sow, "Don't be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap." Coach them up, it will make all the difference in the world in which you live. The harvest will be immeasurable as the seeds you plant grow and mature into a grove of trees too many to count!
Coach Carter
