Something you may not know about me is that I love to coach youth sports. This season I coached Matt’s basketball team and this past weekend the team got their first win in their last game! It was exciting and I am so proud of the boys, but it wasn’t about the win, it was about the progress they made this season, as individuals and as a team.

Everyone that knows me well knows I am a competitor at heart. Yet as a coach, I know there are more important things to teach the kids than to just aim for the win. Every time we have the opportunity to work with a child - or anyone for that matter - is a chance to build the person up, from the inside out. So at the start of the season I make sure the team knows that we are there to build them up first as people, then as players, and then as a team. To help us accomplish this, we also established five principles for the team to build their season on.

Be your personal best.
Build each other up with your words and actions.
Do the small things consistently to make the big things happen.
Have a W.I.N.ners mentality (so that when they make a mistake rather than dwelling on it they instead ask the question, W.I.N. - What Is Next?)
Have fun!

These principles we teach these kids aren’t just for the court but are useful tools to live out off the court as well. You see, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what their record is because that doesn’t determine their worth. But who they become by the end of the season, that is what coaching is all about.

And these boys demonstrated growth this season, as people, as players, and they grew in unity as a team and it was awesome to watch! In each practice and game they stepped more and more into their potential and to finish the season on a make with a win was the cherry on top.

I share this with you today because I am so excited for, and proud of, these boys! And also, because having a firm foundation of principles to build our teams, or lives on, is essential.

And that is what a life of faith is all about.

It is about taking God’s Word and placing it as the foundation of our lives. It is about the principles God teaches us in His word and living them out towards ourselves, and others. Like our team, we will see progress

when we take God’s principles and put them into practice in our lives.

With that said, I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.™

Let’s take a moment to answer a couple questions honestly:

What is the “win” we are aiming for in life?
Are we more focused on that “win” than on God’s Word and living out His the principles?
List 2-3 principles from scripture that we will focus on putting into practice consistently (for example one of mine is to love God and love my neighbor as myself)

May answering these questions help us establish a firm foundation to build our lives on, just as these boys built their season on these principles, and eventually got their “win.”

With love and hope,

Shawn

💌For more encouragement, listen to this week’s Live from the Inside Out™ podcast HERE💌