“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11
About 15 years ago I was attending the state basketball championships at Lloyd Noble Stadium. I was watching the quarterfinals game between a 6A Tulsa High School and a 6A high school from Oklahoma City. I was sitting at the table right in between the benches. I felt like I was a part of the game. It was an incredible game and very close. Both teams were on edge and working hard.
During the game a young man from the Tulsa team went a little crazy out on the court and I heard the coach say his name. The young man turned and looked at his coach and nodded. Not two plays later, this same young man lost it on a play and committed a horrible foul. As everyone was lining up for the free throws, the coach motioned for him to come over. He put his hand behind the players neck and pulled the players head against his (the coaches) shoulder. I was close enough to hear what he said. “Son, you lost your composure.” No response, so he repeated himself. The player said, “Yes, sir.” The coach then said, “You forgot who you are. You forgot who you belong to. You are a winner. Now, get back in there and play like one.”
That moment made an incredible impact on the young man. He went back in and played the rest of the game like a champion. I also know that my friend and I, who were sitting there, were forever changed as well. What an incredible act of encouragement! That coach could have yelled, screamed, or any number of other things. However, his response was a game changer! How often do we need God to pull our heads against his shoulder and speak into our ear, “You lost your composure. You forgot who you are. You forgot who you belong to. You are a winner (because I have overcome), now get back in there and play like one!”
Rev. Jeremy Sanders, Pastor of Program Ministries
