We Are Surrounded

I have been blessed through the years, to be able to coach my boys in most of their sporting events.  I love getting out on the field with the team, watching them compete and grow as young men.  We have played baseball, basketball, soccer and this year we started football.  No matter what the sport, the game can get intense.  Most of the time, the kids are pretty cool about the whole experience, but the crazy ones are the parents.
When I started coaching, Jackson was around 4. The first sport that we could sign up for was t-ball.  Every kid had the chance to hit and play in the field and parents just sat in the stands and lightly cheered.  It seemed like a wonderful experience.  Ladies in sun dresses sipping lemonade and enjoying the summer night.  Then came the fall and with it, soccer season.  All of a sudden these same ladies traded their summer dresses for warm up suits and went from cheering to straight up yelling.  Yelling at the refs, yelling at the kids and heaven forbid, even yelling at me (mostly Haley yelling at me).  I thought to myself, "What is the difference from t-ball to soccer?"  Then I realized that in soccer, they are keeping score and the competitive juices started to flow.  Ever since then, I have come to learn that parents (including myself) really are crazy.
I have often thought during games what the kids are thinking as this process is going on.  Are they actually listening?  Are they concerned, or could they care less?  I mean, they are surrounded by stands of people, half cheering them on, the other half hoping they lose.  Can you even imagine the pressure we put on our children even at the age of four years old.
It reminds me of a passage in Hebrews.  In chapter 11, there is a long list of people who are deemed the "heroes of faith".  In it are listed a group of heavy hitters who came through in clutch situations for their faith in God.  People like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are there as well as Daniel, David and Samuel.  Then Hebrews tells us in chapter 12 that "we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1).  I imagine a huge stadium filled with saints from the past, family members gone home and maybe even an opposite side hoping we drop the ball.  We also are surrounded by a group of people here on this earth watching us as Christians to see how we play the game of life as well.
So how do we win?  Hebrews 12 continues by telling us to "lay aside every weight, and sin and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus".  It reminds me of a time talking to my under 6 soccer team.  We were huddled up and I could tell the team was losing focus (they are 5 year olds remember).  I told them that Their mom was not the coach, their dad was not the coach, their grandpa was not the coach.  I was their coach, and if they would just listen to me, I would put them in the place they need to be and to play well and even get a chance to win the game.
The world is going to try to yell at you from the sidelines.  You are going to be screamed at from all different directions, but if you listen and look to Jesus the "author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2), then you can be placed in the right position to not only win the game but look good doing it.
So remember, you are an important part of the team.  Don't get distracted.  Listen to your coach.  Win the game.  And as I always tell the boys, have fun doing it.