by Shannon Caughey

How often do you talk with your athletes about their focus? Lack of focus or misplaced focus is detrimental in competition. To be successful, athletes must stay “locked in” on the right thing. The same can be said for you as a coach. Focus is crucial to winning.

This is also true with the greatest opportunity you have as a coach: the chance to influence your athletes and fellow coaches for Christ and his ultimate purposes. To win at what matters most requires keeping your focus on the right thing. Let’s look again at Hebrews 12:1-2—“¹ Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, ² keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

In this series of devotions, we’re considering how we can live and coach to win at “the race that lies before us”—the life of faith in Christ. According to Hebrews 12:2, a crucial component is focus: “keeping our eyes on Jesus.” Why do we need to stay locked in on Jesus? Here are two reasons:

1. Our growth in faith depends upon Jesus.

In v. 2, Jesus is called “the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” When we were lost in our sin and facing an eternity separated from God—and we were blind to how enslaved we were by our sin condition—Jesus graciously initiated his work in us to bring us to salvation in him. He pioneered what needed to happen so that we could respond in faith to him and what he accomplished through his death and resurrection. Jesus enabled us to believe so we could be rescued from our sin and be part of “the race”: life with him that leads to ultimate victory. When we keep our focus on Jesus, we nourish a heart of gratitude and awe for him and what he’s done—and this impacts how we live and coach.

But Jesus doesn’t just get us started on this race and then say, “Now it’s all up to you.” He is also the perfector of our faith, continuing to graciously work to mature us. Growth in trusting and following the Lord is not merely about trying harder. Jesus leads us toward what he desires for us and empowers us to actually live this out. Our priority is to stay locked in on Jesus: seeing him and understanding his heart more clearly through studying God’s Word, deepening our communication with him through prayer, and daily reminding ourselves of his presence with us by His Spirit in every moment. As we depend upon Jesus, he grows us in the wisdom and strength we need to coach and live for his glory.

2. Our confidence comes from recognizing Jesus understands and cares.

In the book of Hebrews, Jesus is often referred to as “Christ” or “God’s Son,” communicating that he is the long-awaited King and he is fully divine. In 12:2, the author just uses “Jesus.” It’s a subtle way of reminding us that the One who is the Messiah and God’s Son is also fully human. Jesus understands what it’s like to experience what we experience. Earlier in Hebrews when Jesus’ role as our great high priest is explained, we’re given this assurance: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). Whatever our struggles or challenges might be, Jesus understands. He cares about us personally, which is why he’s committed to growing “our faith.” This fills us with confidence in Jesus’ work as we keep our eyes focused on him.

As a coach, influencing your athletes and fellow coaches for Christ and his ultimate purposes requires maintaining the right focus. Keep your eyes on Jesus, the one who is at work in you and through you. As you stay locked in on him, you will coach to win at what matters most.

For reflection: What steps can you take to keep your eyes on Jesus day by day? Choose at least one of these steps and decide how you will pursue it.