Raising Shepherds: The Real Battle, The Real Victory

I think I may have already said this on here, but Zach has the pleasure of coaching the swim team for a community near us called Vistancia. They're the Vistancia Vipers, and he really enjoys it. In October, they started a Fall/Winter team and they practice twice a week. He started a blog for the team, and he wrote this post about a week ago. I wanted to share it because it's a pretty neat story...

Hey Vipers,

Some of you know I teach at a private school (Joy Christian School) during the week. Well, last night the Shepherd family watched the Joy Christian Eagles Football Team play for the High School D-VI State Championship against the Joseph City Wildcats at Bradshaw Mountain High School Stadium in Prescott Valley, AZ. And, this morning the Shepherd family played a children’s game called “Wormy Apples” at our kitchen table in our pajamas.

(In case you’ve never played “Wormy Apples” the scoop is, they each have a plastic apple with 8 little slots in it, and they have 8 little plastic worms that go in the slots. You spin a little pointer arrow on a game board and based on where it lands you can remove one of your worms or add worms to another players apple or even trade apples with another player. The goal is to be the first one to get rid of all of your worms. Sounds fun huh )

One of these game involved two teams, each with a school full of fans who braved the elements to sit in the stands and support and cheer them on, had news coverage and commentation, was recognized at the state level, and would be recorded for the history books. One game involved two parents and three of their children, it took place in our kitchen, behind closed doors, and would not be recognized by anyone anywhere outside our house. While the size and significance of one may seem greater than the other, my kids wouldn’t know that. In fact, their little worm game must have seemed like the super bowl to them because it got pretty intense. Each time one of them spun the little arrow it affected each of them in one way or another. If things went their way, they celebrated or showed excitement and eagerness to continue. If something went against them, they disapproved, pouted, complained, whined and spoke against each other. The game held promise in the beginning, and a few minutes later it was pure misery. I had to put a stop to “Wormy Apples” at 3 minutes and 7 seconds into it because my kids each thought the game was about “doing good” or “winning” otherwise it was no fun. If that were true, then only one of them would be able to have fun because there is only one winner of that game.

You know what’s great about sports and competition?! What happens in the pool, on the field, on the court, or at the kitchen table playing ”Wormy Apples”, is about something more significant than beating other people or winning games; it’s about life. There is always going to be winning and losing, there’s always going to be celebration and pain, but as your coach, what I want you to know is that swimming isn’t about who touches first. Swimming, and anything else you do, is about the real battle, the one going on inside your heart. If your sense of joy, worth, satisfaction or fulfillment comes from being the best, the prettiest or coolest, how many people like you, what stuff you have, or your “Win/Loss” record, you are missing what’s real, what matters and what lasts. One thing that matters is ”character”.

There is a proverb that says, “The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts.” In other words, intense heat and pressure are used to forge powerful and valuable things and the tests we face in life are specially designed to bring up the areas we fall short in character so we can grow. Character is powerful and valuable. If you keep showing up for practice, keep pushing through the tough stuff, and keep competing for the purpose of growing in your character, you will be a champion. Boy, lessons like that may not sound like fun , maybe even painful, but I guarantee real victory is worth more than it costs!! Now, who’s ready to learn? Anyone…anyone…?

See you at practice

Coach Zach

Here's Teda, Dane, and Jett with the Joy Christian Mascot, the Eagle. Jett is FASCINATED by the eagle. He follows him everywhere at games. It was really cold this evening, and it took a while for the kids to loosen up a bit and for their bodies to adjust... Jett especially. After that, they all had a blast!