by Shannon Caughey

Some athletes and coaches have a lot of success early on. Everything they do seems to work. But then they encounter adversity. Maybe it’s an injury set-back or several seasons with more losses than wins. Perhaps it’s another type of struggle that makes competing or coaching far harder than it was at the beginning. Now these athletes and coaches have a decision to make. Will they give up on competing or coaching because it’s too difficult? Or will they press on, believing that if they push through adversity there will be a reward on the other side?

The passage we’re looking at in this series of devotions, Hebrews 12:1-2, compares the life of faith in Christ to a race. This race is not a sprint. It’s more like a marathon that includes parts of the race when things are going well and parts of the race when we’re struggling. When coaching and living for Jesus feels hard, what do we do? Let’s listen again to what Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us is needed to win at what matters most: honoring the Lord and influencing others for Christ and his ultimate purposes.

“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, ²keeping 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 previous devotions, we’ve seen that coaching to win in this most important race includes understanding our place in the bigger picture of the Lord’s work, keeping our focus on Jesus, and getting rid of anything that impedes us from honoring Christ. Here’s another dimension of coaching win: embrace endurance. As v. 1 says, “Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us.” Why do we need endurance? The Bible repeatedly emphasizes that following Christ in a world often set against him and his ways is hard. To coach and live for Jesus requires pressing on through difficult things—not just for a short time, but over the long haul. How can we do so?

1. Be encouraged by Jesus’ endurance on our behalf.

In v. 2, we’re reminded that Jesus “endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” To rescue us from what we deserve for our sin and to reconcile us to the holy God who loves us, Jesus endured incredible physical suffering. He endured the shame of being unjustly executed in a manner reserved for the worst of criminals. He endured being separated from his Father—with whom he had enjoyed perfect, uninterrupted fellowship for all eternity—while on the cross he bore God’s righteous wrath against our sin. Knowing that Jesus endured all of this for us encourages us to endure whatever we encounter as we seek to coach and live for him.

2. Keep the ultimate goal before us.

According to v. 2, what enabled Jesus to endure the suffering and shame of the cross was this: “the joy that lay before him.” Jesus looked beyond the hardship of the present to the joy of the future: the completion of his mission to bring us salvation, the triumph of God’s redemptive purpose in this world, and the return to his rightful place of authority and glory at the right hand of his Father’s throne. As followers of Jesus, we endure present adversity by keeping the ultimate goal before us: fulfilling the mission the Lord has for us, knowing that how we coach and live now counts for all eternity, and looking forward to one day hearing the Lord say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant! Share your Master’s joy” (Matthew 25:21, 23).

In your coaching setting, you may encounter adversity because of your devotion to Christ. Prioritizing the Lord and his ways in everything you do as a coach may bring criticism from people who want you to have a “win at all costs” approach. Hard things and possibly even suffering may accompany your efforts to glorify Jesus in how you coach. 

In these and other challenges, embrace the endurance needed to run the race. Remember what Christ endured for your sake and steadfastly follow him. For the joy before you, keep coaching and living for what matters most: honoring the Lord and influencing others for Christ and his ultimate purposes.

For reflection: In what ways do you need to embrace endurance in the race of faith? Ask the Lord for his grace and strength to keep running with endurance for his glory.