May 21, 2012 - Bad Coach or Bad Players?

I have had multiple conversations and read many things the past few days that have led to my thoughts this morning…

From the sports world it has generated from the constant talk about what coaches are on the “chopping block”; what ones are good coaches; etc. I love how often fans assume that the players on the court/field are doing what the coach told them… (from experience I can tell you they often do not.) Or better yet when a team is struggling to score how it is the coach’s fault. Although that may be true at times, most often remember that a coach cannot go out onto the court and take the shots for the players; he cannot go up to bat and take the swings for the players; he cannot catch the football… I think you get my point. I have seen a basketball game where the team shot 1 for 16 from the field and fans said they had a bad coach – no, the players simply stunk it up that day!

In other areas I continually hear people questioning the goodness or the existence of God based upon what they see in people. The typical questions like how a good God could allow pain and suffering. The typical responses that sense things are not like we want them, there must not be a God.

This is just a short blog so I will not go into a full discourse here but I do want to take a moment to defend not only my God’s existence but also His goodness.

[Romans 1:20] tells us that nature itself is a witness to God’s existence. The complexities of the universe, of man, etc. scream of design not chance. The realities of things like communication and personality cannot be explained by the physical. The simple fact that people question “goodness” is an indicator of something beyond the mere physical world.

As for God’s goodness… Yes I agree we live in a painful, screwed up world. Yet I do not blame the “Coach” for that. The players are the ones that have stunk it up. The question of God’s goodness cannot be answered via religion, as that simply makes Him out to be the bad guy that we are trying to appease. True Christianity gives the only true loving response to this problem. A God that loves us so much that He intervened in the mess we made to provide us an eternal way out of it.

God demonstrates His love toward us in that (in spite of how horribly we have played the game) while we were yet sinners Christ died for us (entered the game as a Substitute.) [Romans 5:8]

You still may say that it would be more loving for Him to simply change the game; yet I happen to be thankful that He has given me choices and allowed me to live, not just be His machine. I love getting the opportunity now as His child (His player) to try to do what He says out on the court… so yes I will use His Playbook as my guide.

Remember a simple truth: Life and God are not synonyms! I agree that life is not always “good” but I am thankful for a God that is good and there for me in spite of life!