Coach Candace Moats- Volleyball

I was…

Absorbed with myself but I did not see it because it was disguised in what I thought was necessary to be a successful coach. I had all the necessary tools but the wrong perspective. I worked hard because it was easier to trust myself than to trust God’s leading or timing. And, because of my pride and insecurity, I needed validation from others and beat on myself when I was not good enough. When others got the recognition that I thought I desired, instead of being happy for them, it only made me work harder so the result would be different the next time. I did everything in my own strength with fear of failure on my mind constantly. My reliance was on myself and it was exhausting keeping it up.

This made it very hard to see my athlete’s needs. I spent so much time trying to impress and please them that I could not be used by God to love them in ways that promoted what He wanted to accomplish in their lives. I could not help them have the right perspective on competition and their growth as a whole person because I was struggling with that as well.

But Christ

Continued to work on my heart and helped me to see that if I gave up “self,” my ways, my hard work, my control, my identity in the world’s definition of success then He would pour out His peace and joy beyond understanding. He helped me develop a trust in Him and what He wanted to do in the lives of my players, that I did not have before, and He helped me to see that I could love others better because I was not seeking something from them, I was seeking things for them.

And now…

As I focus on a new order of things: Putting God first, spending time with Him and talking to Him, He is building deeper relationships with my student-athletes and my coaching staff. He is giving me a new lens to see their needs, how I can love them well, and how I can help them pursue a deeper relationship with Him, as well as, be excellence in their sport/coaching. Then in God’s grace and mercy, I get to watch and experience the transformation of young woman/staff as they grow in their love for Him and their teammates. And, the amazing thing that has happened in my coaching is that I am forgetting about the scoreboard and myself and instead sharing in the freedom of the life God intended for me to live as a coach.

Life Verse

Philippians 1:6: And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (NLT).

Challenge to Other Athletes/Coaches

What can we do to reflect or grow closer to God on and off the field?

I challenge us all as we minister or compete in the world of sports, the best coaching tip I have heard, as our Men’s basketball program says, make sure “I am third behind God first and others second.” This allows a freedom to get in strive with what God is doing and join Him in His transformational work in the lives of my players, staff and myself!