Tuesday, March 30, 2010

March 30, 2010

"Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." Proverbs 15:22
This week we move into the Final Four of the NCAA Basketball Tournament, one of the biggest events in the world of sports. Millions will tune into to watch the semi-finals and the championship games.
When I look at the four teams remaining in the chase for the championship I notice a common denominator - three of them have veteran coaches. Two of those coaches have won national championships before.
All four of these teams have tall and talented players. All of them have winning traditions. Both Duke and Michigan State have multiple final four appearances. But if you ask the one thing that separates these elite teams from the others you would have to point to Duke's Coach K, Michigan State's Coach Izzo, and West Virginia's Coach Huggins. They set themselves apart with their ability to coach teams to a championship level. It is not that their players are far more talented than the other teams, it is their ability to motivate and mentor those players into an effective team.
Tall, talented, teen-aged basketball stars don't naturally play championship level winning basketball. They are prone to play for themselves rather than for the team. It takes a Tom Izzo, or a Mike Krzyzewski, or a Bob Huggins to mold these talented kids into a smoothly functioning unit.
So, if it takes exceptional coaching to shape championship teams, what makes us think we can build strong marriages without help?
It is called accountability. It is called discipline. It is called coaching not because it creates talent but because it unifies and maximizes it. If we naturally did our best or automatically did everything we know we should do, we could go it alone. But let's be honest - we don't!
If it takes world-class coaches to mold world-class athletes into world-class teams what do think would help build world-class marriages?
So, why don't you have someone coaching or mentoring you?
Why are you going it alone?
Who do you know that you could ask to come along side of you and your spouse to help coach you and call out the best in your marriage?
When will you ask them?