"Finding God's Way to Coach"

Li Yan, a speedskating coach for the Chinese National Team, had a difficult time coaching in China. She had difficulties working with the athletes and the federation system. Not knowing how to handle problems, she stubbornly chose to keep her thoughts to herself. Outwardly, she concentrated on doing her job well, but the desired results were not there.

In the meantime, she missed her family who lived in the United States. Young in her faith, she didn't always seek God for direction, but instead, she relied on her intuition and feelings to make decisions.

On her first vacation to the United States to see her family, she asked her pastor for advice. He instructed her to pray for herself for strength and wisdom from God and for the ability to forgive others.

When she returned to China, Li Yan chose to love and communicate with her teammates and officials. Her attitude started to change. As a result, she built mutual trust, and the performance of the team improved greatly.

At the Vancouver Winter Olympics, the Chinese team swept all of the speed skating gold medals, the first time one country in history in this sport won all the gold medal. For her it was a great achievement and that brought satisfaction.

Li Yan knew it was God who gave her wisdom to change how she was coaching, strengthened her and guided her to walk on the right path and have wisdom to make the best decisions to overcome her difficulties.

She glorified God through her career by caring for others, treating them with dignity, and communicating well with them in all situations. She knew that she couldn't have achieved the bond on her team – the inner joy, real satisfaction and real peace – without God.

Li Yan followed her pastor’s advice and relied on God's strength and wisdom to overcome difficulties and make right decisions. Everyone faces difficulties in life. Seeking godly advice and choosing to walk in God's way changed the outcome for Li Yan and her team and can change the course of your life, too.

Question: What difficulties are you facing in your relationships with others? Have you sought to know God's will and instructions for you? Who can you ask for help in knowing God's perspective and way?

Prayer: Dear Jesus, help me trust You with my problems today. Bring people into my life who can help me solve them. Help me to turn to You in prayer when I don’t know what to do next. Renew my mind and enable me to walk in Your perfect way..