Influence..alive and well

What happens when a football coach goes beyond the "call of duty" and helps a young man turn his whole world around? Recently I heard the testimony of a young football coach in the Dallas area.

Up until his early teens he thought his life was pretty normal. His parents were his stability until they divorced and his world fell apart. With no spiritual guidance from either parent he stumbled, went after whatever made him feel good and was miserable inside no matter what he tried. He was on a self-destructive path. At one point his path led him to being stabbed at a local bar and even that didn't change his ways because that was all he knew.

He was pretty good at sports and made his way to a small college to play football. It was there that a coach decided to not only challenge him to be a better athlete but he made a point to share Christ with him. Even though he was not interested in "being preached to", the young man soon saw that his coach cared about him beyond the playing field. He was concerned about his spiritual condition. And this college age football player allowed God's word to change his life.

Now fast forward 15 or so years and this young athlete is now a coach himself. While volunteering with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes as a huddle coach, he is introduced to a young football player we'll call "Jacob".

Jacob had recently moved to the area from New Orleans. His childhood was nothing but normal. His father kicked him out on the streets when he was in middle school and he went to live with a cousin who was involved in drugs. Jacob also started selling drugs and eventually wound up in Dallas living with an aunt and uncle who pretty much made it clear they were providing room and board and that was it.

No love was given to Jacob who, over the span of a couple of years, lost his cousin and grandmother to drug gangs. Jacob grew up with no one showing him love and was hugely "messed up".

About a year or so ago, someone invited Jacob to the FCA huddle group that our young coach was a part of. There, Jacob heard about Jesus for the first time. He grew up with Buddhism and had no idea who Jesus was. Eventually, Jacob was drawn to the Bible and with limited knowlege asked Christ into his heart. However, his commitment level was immature and he wavered in his Christian walk.

Last year his coach invited him to an FCA sports camp where he made a serious commitment to Christ and the Christian lifestyle. He surrendered everything to Christ and asked God to use him however He saw fit. Jacob started a Bible study for his football team and is beginning to make a huge impact on campus.

I don't know what Jacob's demeanor or personality was like prior to hearing him share his testimony but, today, you can see life and peace radiating from him.

Here's my point to this long story. Years ago a coach decided to teach a young college football player more than just football. He shared the truth about God's love. That young player eventually accepted Christ and years later, as a coach himself, he influenced another young boy, someone who didn't know what love was, to turn to the God who IS love. on earth. Now this young high school player is passing that love on to his friends and who knows what will happen next.

Be encouraged that you can make a difference. Pass love along. It is worth it.