In an article I recently read concerning whether or not beginner and/or advanced runners should hire coaches, the author drew attention to several interesting points.
- “Some coaching programs involve personalized coaching, but more and more combine personal or group coaching with online coaching… That may or may not matter to you, but be sure you know what you are getting… Credentialed coaches are taught about injury prevention, nutrition, hydration, safe training practices and proper training/racing equipment, as well as how many hours a week you should be training.”
- “…be clear on how often you will communicate with your coach and what the method of communication will be. Sadly, the biggest complaint I hear about some of the best coaches in the world is that they are unreliable with communication or don't get your schedules to you on time. You need to be reasonable about your expectations, but I find it easier to coach an athlete if we have fairly regular communication.”
- “Once you decide who will do your coaching, you need to trust your coach and stick with their plan. This is huge. I can't tell you how many times an athlete will start with a coach, only to read an article or hear about what a fellow athlete is doing for training and start modifying the training plan sent by their coach to incorporate other training. Don't add workouts, speed up the pace of your run or do any other crazy workouts you read about if they are not in your training plan. If you are tired, sore, or unable to keep the pace your coach is recommending it is your responsibility to tell the coach, and the sooner the better. But if the coach says take a day off, take it. If he or she tells you to slow down on your long runs, trust him/her. Pay your coach on time. And most of all, if you don't stick with the plan, you are not allowed to be disappointed with the result!”
- ‘Self-Coaching: If you chose this route and you are new to marathoning, I hope are at least going to read a couple of books or subscribe to some running publications. The only trouble with this self-taught method is that there is so much conflicting advice out there! How do you figure out what is best for you? You are going to need to do some of the things a good coach would be doing for you.”
In reading this, my mind of course was making comparisons to our spiritual journey as believers. But before I get to those comparisons – a few thoughts from scripture concerning the “environment” and “society” of the Christian life.
In Jeremiah 17 we are warned concerning the deceitfulness of our hearts. In Romans 12, Paul reminds us that "as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”
Some takeaway points from these and other scriptures: First, we should note that a significant premise for our need for involvement in Christian community is our inability to see our own hearts with clarity. I think it was Piper who said “The mind bends reality to justify it's desires.” (my dad quotes it so often that I’m not quite sure who said it anymore!)
The deceitfulness of our human nature should drive us to the realization (and, in fact, the scriptural instruction) that we are all called to be a part of a doctrinally sound, gospel-centered, Christ-seeking, local church; who will keep us accountable in the process and progress of our sanctification and passion for the Savior. The Christian walk, as I’ve mentioned before, is no solo flight. We desperately need other people to help us see our hearts.
We also read that although we are “many members”, we “do not all have the same function”. God has gifted different individuals in unique ways; mirroring the creativity and intricacy of his character and creation. We need others, then, to jointly create a more complete mirror of who God is – and to learn from one another as we grow in grace and becoming more like Christ.
Psalm 73:24 states that the Lord “guide[s us] with [his] counsel, and afterward…will take [us] into glory,” and yet - not only does he accomplish this through his word; he chooses to do this through fellow believers; leaders and teachers/preachers; as well as friends and family (particularly one’s parents and spouse).
[note: I am compelled to say something here to honor the church leadership and lifestyle of Sovereign Grace; the network of churches in which I have had the privilege to be “born, bred, and fed” for all 20 years of my life J - the emphasis on humility, transparency, and regular accountability and fellowship is one I have yet to see matched (sadly) by most Christian/bible-believing churches… oftentimes, the concept of confession of sins and prayer/accountability/fellowship come as a shock to incoming believers used to the “me and God” type of faith; where they restrict their sanctification to personal time in the Word and Sunday teaching…I have been so incredibly, inexpressibly blessed to have received the care and counsel of many wise and mature Christians for many years – faithfully investing in my life and attending to my soul for the purpose of seeing God glorified… this is not something I take for granted. I would not be who I am today were it not for the grace of God ministered not only through a personal relationship with him, but through the input of other believers! Thank you, C.J., Josh, and the pastoral team at CLC and throughout Sovereign Grace Ministries – for modeling this and instilling it in your “flock” for many, many years. The Lord will richly bless you for it, as he has us – through it…]
So – a recap on that. Our hearts are deceitful. God calls us to community. He uses others to shape us into his likeness; assisting us in seeing our sin and encouraging and exhorting us to change and growth in Christ!
Okay- now back to that illustration.
- “Personal vs. Online coaching”:
Application: it’s become the norm, sadly, for many Christians to walk independently from the counsel of fellow believers and pastors/teachers – seeking advice from magazines, self-help books, online resources, and radio talk shows. They sign up for “life coaches” and “spiritual guidance counseling”; neglecting the immediately and appropriately available means of grace provided in their family, friends, and church community. Churches are not so much about “building” with one another in the “body” of Christ towards the coming of the
- (sorry for that long one! I got carried away…)
Communication:
We should all know by now how significant communication is. From the time you were an itsy bitsy whatever-you-are learning the important differences between “no” and “yes”, “hot” and “cold”, “yankees” and “red sox” - to the adolescent years when you begin to realize that during the Babel episode God must have confused the languages of men and women as well as tribes and nations - ;) communication, or should I say, effective communication – is key to peace, happiness, and the all-around co-existence and efficiency of mankind. It’s so easy for us to blame our sin on others in this area, isn’t it? It’s as if we expect people to develop telepathic abilities. They should know what we want, when we want it, and just what to say when we are in need of advice/ counsel/encouragement. But without effective communication on OUR part – transparency; confession of sin, openness, clarity, pursuit of counsel – we cannot expect to receive all that God has for us through the wisdom of our “coaches and counselors”. It takes affirmative action (“seeking after wisdom”, as Proverbs calls it) and humility to get the input we need to “run faster” and more efficiently. Don’t expect a “return” if you won’t invest the time.
- Trust:
If you place your hope in human effort, it’s true that you’re bound to come out disappointed. But God has called us to trust him in a unique way through the transparency mentioned in #2 – obviously, you want to know who you are trusting (don’t approach a random individual on the street wearing a “Jesus is my Homeboy” t-shirt and begin to confess your sin and temptation to them!) and it takes discernment to know what to share with whom (for instance, it’s best to keep the confession of personal spiritual battles and temptation gender-specific… guys shouldn’t be confessing lust even to godly women of their acquaintance!) but we cannot expect perfection in the people we have fellowship with. (Hey, if they thought that way, they probably wouldn’t talk to you, either!) We need to trust that God uses even the “defects” in others to make us more like him! It takes much greater humility to hear an observation or concern from someone who’s a sinner like you than someone who has it all “down pat”. And – once you’ve sought the Lord and seen who he is calling you to share life with – you have to trust that he will use them, and seek the “unity” called for in the body of Christ by both “being invested in” and “investing back”… it’s a two-way relationship and it’s motivated by real love… which cares for the soul and sanctification of a fellow believer more than their opinion of you or the “comfort” and “ease” of the relationship. (phew! That was one long sentence!) Basically, haphazard transparency isn’t the best idea, but God will direct us to certain people (specifically Christian parents, mentors, pastors, teachers, fellow small-group members, family…) that will need to know us as we really are in order to effectively “coach and counsel” us in the long run. (no pun intended! honest! :))
- Self-Coaching:
Not recommended! Just as the author of the running article stated, the “trouble with this self-taught method is that there is so much conflicting advice out there!” – and that’s only one downfall! This “method” of the Christian walk may seem the “easiest”, but it only leads to discouragement, confusion, and oftentimes to “static” Christianity; or “complacency”. If you believe what the Bible teaches concerning our lack of ability to see our sin clearly, you won’t get far by approaching your sanctification in this way. I recently made the decision not to attend college full-time. This decision was based upon many different things, but one of them concerned how my time was being consumed by school – leaving me with little opportunity to interact with my “caregroup” and family, friends, leaders in the church… the less I was home or involved in settings with these dear “means of grace” (the term I have been using is most definitely a Sovereign Grace-ism… sorry!) the more sanctified I thought I was! With few people to point out my sin or exhort me to godliness, I became increasingly convinced that I really didn’t have a lot to work on… which made me uneasy. I do know my heart well enough by now to “rest assured” that when I’m “resting assured” there’s a lot below the surface that is going to be revealed – and soon. Sure enough, after finals were over and I went back to being at home more and interacting with those individuals, a whole category of doctrinal confusion was revealed which had begun fueling a hardness of heart in relation to quick conviction/repentance and humility/teachability with others. I’m so grateful to be back in those contexts now, where I can be daily "observed" and have opportunities to “seek wisdom while it may be found”.
I’m hoping this post is clear. I doubt it is… I prefer to pray over and consider this for an extended period of time when I can, but it has been so long since my last post that I managed to throw this together on coffee breaks at work today (I don’t drink coffee, so they are “blog breaks” for me!... although that in fact sounds like some nasty and extremely healthy energy drink…) and can only hope it contains nothing heretical or inherently contradictory! (Of course, in accordance with what I’ve been promoting in this post… if you have observations, questions, or concerns, always let me know!)
Pursue holiness and wisdom, counsel, and insight. Look for the “Coaches and Counselors” God has so graciously provided in your life, and make good use of that “resource”!
Resting in undeserved grace,
-Jen
