More Than The ScoreSample

There’s no denying this truth: Where there are people involved, there will be trials. We have seen a lot of it through youth sports. We’ve seen assaults in the parking lot, parents behaving irrationally, and coaches trying to win at all costs. Even coaches and mentors we trust and believe in will make mistakes. 

The father of one of my Little League players was found guilty of murdering his wife. Imagine trying coaching through that. The rain always comes, and at times, it pours. Many parents aren’t ready for the rain to fall, but some of them are. I’ve seen some common threads across those parents who are rain-ready.

First, they have the proper perspective about sports. They understand the endgame, and they remember that the game is only a game. Second, they help their children learn life skills first. For these parents, competition is second. This doesn’t mean they don’t compete hard. Instead, they focus their efforts on surrounding their children with the best influencers and top-notch character models they can find.

Third, these rain-ready parents don’t dream for their children; they dream with their children. Great parenting involves discovery into their children’s hearts and their own motivations.

As parents of athletes, we have the opportunity to define the perspective of the game. What do we want from it? What do we want from it for our children? This is where priority meets opportunity. When we go into youth sports with the right perspective, the doors of opportunity will open for our children. The results could be a college scholarship or an opportunity for the very few to get a shot at professional ball.

For the majority of us, our hopes and dreams should be that our children learn the incredible life skills from the game they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. If we set our sights on forming godly character in them, then even the rains become our ally in this effort.

We can draw closer in our relationship to God through how the chips fall. Whether we win or lose, get the opportunity or don’t, we can rely on God to be working in and through us for a greater purpose.

This becomes the bedrock of worthy goals for your family. Then, when the rains come, you’ll have built a foundation on the rock that will not get washed away.

I thank God for the rain. If not for the rain, I wouldn’t be able to appreciate the sun.