My Basketball Coach Hates Me

“For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” -Hebrews 12:11

My high school basketball coach hated me. I know he did because he was yelled at me for every mistake I made. He made me run extra if I would show up late or get lazy on a drill. And on top of all that, sometimes he wouldn’t even let me play in the games. 

My high school basketball coach loved me. I know he did because he taught me the importance of always seeking to be excellent. He helped me become a punctual person with an insatiable work ethic. And he taught me that very few things worth having in life are going to be simply handed to you.

Now, am I talking about two different coaches here? Of course not. I’m talking about two different reactions and conclusions I reached based on the same discipline. It wasn’t that my coach’s approach changed, it was that at some point in the season I started looking at his criticism differently.

When you learn to see the reason in the rebuke, discipline becomes a tool instead of a weapon.

Discipline is a tricky thing. As the verse says, it can feel painful at the time. Like a lump of coal, we enter the fires of discipline, and it burns. It is our choice however whether we will simply let the fire burn us, or allow it to refine us into a pearl.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank you that you are constantly refining me through your righteous discipline. I pray you would give me a humble heart today to see the reason in the rebuke, and for my reaction to lead me to righteousness.