Team Camp 2019 - Devotional #4

Overview
We are enough. We are brothers. We are grateful.

We are accepted by God and each other.

That acceptance is what sustains us.

That sustenance allows us to find our significance.

Our significance is what we do to celebrate our acceptance.

In that joy, we may get to participate in some great achievements.

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PAUSE:
- What phrase did you come up with to help you remember your acceptance by God?

(Here are some examples in case you don't have one yet, imagine God saying to you "You are enough" or "You are my son, whom I love" or "You are my beloved" or "I am in support of you."

- What is your greatest joy that meets the world's greatest need? In other words, how might you do something that celebrates your acceptance by helping others?
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Philippians 4:4-9

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

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PAUSE:
- Read through that passage again. What word or phrase sticks out to you on a second read?

- Why might that be? What is that word or phrase leading you think about?

- Take a moment now to pray. Start with hearing from God who you are. Take a deep breath and remember your phrase of acceptance. Then tell God what you are thinking about this passage, or ask a question. Take another second to breathe and see if any response comes to you. If so, great. If not, breathe in God's acceptance one final time.

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Put it into Practice

Let's break down the verses above for a bit in view of achievement. So let's start by defining achievement from the Google Dictionary.

"Achievement"

Definition: a thing done successfully, typically by effort, courage, or skill.

Synonyms: attaining, gaining, winning, acquirement

Okay, now let's move into these verses. For some context, these verses come from the book of Philippians. That book is a letter that the apostle Paul wrote to the people of Philippi. And this is part of the closing section of the letter, it's the last and lasting advice that the writer wants to leave with those who read the letter.

So let me summarize this final advice:

1. Rejoice!

2. Rejoice!

3. Be gentle.

4. You don't have to be afraid or anxious

5. Instead, pray and be thankful

6. God will give you peace

7. Meditate on the good of life

8. If you receive something, put it into practice

9. God will give you peace

I love this passage's advice about how and why to follow God. It acknowledges that following God should deliver us a lot of joy and peace. I could riff for awhile on why that is true, but for brevity's sake let's accept that it is. 

But another thing I love hear is that the passage is so much about recognizing what you are receiving. In our world, so much of what we think defines achievement is about more. Just look at the synonyms Google suggested for achievement! Attaining, gaining, winning, acquirement... all of those words have the connotation of getting more. It always the next thing and the next thing and the next thing. 

But achievement according to God is much more beautiful than killing yourself to get some next thing or award, it is rejoicing, and then rejoicing again. It is prayerful (reminded of acceptance) and thankful. It recognizes the good gifts of life. And then it puts those gifts into practice.

Notice, the last phrase there, "put it into practice." For the follower of Jesus, that is the achievement. Achievement is simply receiving the joy of affirmation, thinking about what brings us joy that might also help others, and putting that into practice.

For the follower of Jesus, achievement has nothing to do with results. 

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PAUSE:
- Is that hard to accept, that achievement has nothing to do with results? Why or why not?

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Two "Achievements"
Let me tell you some Sectional championship stories. For a purely outside perspective, the greatest achievements in my coaching career have been my two Sectional championships. Let me tell you those stories...

In 2008, we returned all seven members of our varsity team from the year before. And that 2007 had been very good, advancing to the Sectional final and losing just 3-2 to NorthWood. There were a bunch of good guys on this team who worked hard. 7 seniors and one junior competed for varsity that year, and they were pushed by two sophomores eager to take their spots (Seth Krabill and Ben Mast).

I so wanted to win Sectional that year. I was young (27) and this group was the first group of players that I had recruited away from soccer, taught them since middle school, and coached for four years. This was the group that would prove to the whole of Northern Indiana tennis that I was a good coach. This was the year I would finally feel accepted and celebrated by the tennis world. I might even be recognized with a coaching award for how I'd turned around the program, 3-15 the year before I came to Sectional (maybe even Regional) champions in my 5th year. That achievement would make me feel awesome.

So during the season, we defeated each of the teams in our Sectional. We had some close ones (3-2 over NorthWood) and some blowouts (5-0 over Fairfield). So come Sectional, I was ready to win. In the first round we played Fairfield, and found ourselves tied 2-2 with them and down 1-5 at #2 doubles for the match. My dream looked over. I walked around behind the match nervously praying that God would bless us, like there was only one blessing to be had from the situation. Well, we dug ourselves out. Point by point we came back, and we actually never even faced a match point. We won 6 games in a row, and won the match 3-2. That momentum carried over into the final, and we defeated NorthWood 4-1 to lift the Sectional trophy.

And I felt... sick to my stomach. As the following weekend unfolded, my feeling turned into relief, that it was over. I was proud, but not like I thought. We lost in Regional, and then I went to the coach's meeting where we decide All-District and Coach of the Year. I had won Sectional, now I wanted another achievement, an award. The coaching award was announced, and it went to someone who had taken over their program 5 years ago. Before their first season their team had only won 3 matches. But in 5 years, they'd built the program and took their first four year players to a Sectional final. It was the coach from Columbia City.

And I was like... wait... I did those same things but better. I won the Sectional final. I had a better record this year. I did it with no All-District players (Columbia City's #1 had made the All-District team). I needed the awards to prove I was in. I was a good coach, right?

I had put so much stock in results, but when it happened I couldn't even enjoy what really happened. I doubled down on trying to prepare my new team with 7 new varsity players to repeat as Sectional champions the next year, determined to prove that I was a good coach. But that next year of coaching broke me, so much that I almost quit. I ended up crying real tears while watching a concert at Grace College during that next season, realizing that I was focusing on the wrong things. There was a song that hit me like a freight train called "Carry the Weight." Ugh.

Now I realize, I had been trying to use achievement as a way to my significance and acceptance.

The second Sectional we won was much different. First of all, the verse that I started this devotional with was our framing verse for the season. Our team prayer was "Every breath in is gratitude, every breath out gets rid of our fear." And so I was very focused that year on receiving from God, hearing what God had to say about us, and not worrying about other things.

Winning Sectional was pure joy. I remember having a complete sense of calm, as we played on two indoor courts and went way down in the first sets of both of the matches to go on court. I was relaxed because I knew for real that the guys loved each other. I didn't have any fear. I was simply grateful. We came back and won one of those two, and then won two more to take a 3-2 win. And nothing more had been proved about us. Whether we won or lost, we had been there for each other. Whether we had won or lost, we were accepted by God. That team had players I had baptized, players I had talked with for hours, players I had prayed several years for. They accepted me, I accepted them, all was good.

Even when we lost the Regional in heartbreaking fashion, we were good. Because I realized that no Regional championship can make me more than what God sees in me - one of God's own, beloved children.

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PAUSE:
- What achievements are you hoping to pursue this year?

- What do you think you will gain if you are successful?

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Let's Go!
Achievement is so much better when it comes as a result of acceptance. One of the reasons is that then we have others to share the achievement with, someone who had supported us. And these relationships of trust with God and the other brothers around us... these are what life (and tennis) is really about.