"Last Longer"

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Philippians 3:12

Tonight we will play in the semifinal game of the State Championship. I have been blessed to have been a part of these games for several years and I never take these moments for granted. The semifinal game is traditionally the most physical and closely contested game of the playoffs, and tonight should be no different. I have been thinking all week about what to say to my guys in the moments before kickoff. I try to have something to say to them after all the other voices have stopped and it is just me and my guys waiting for the game to begin. Sometimes I have a joke to lessen the tension I can sense in their minds and sometimes I just remind them that I love them and how proud I am to be their coach.

Tonight I am going to say two simple words that I hope will help them through tonight’s game but, more important, will help them through the trials they will face in their lives. We will be in the locker room before the game and I always get a few minutes to talk to them. My words for the boys tonight will be to “Last Longer”. I want them to fully expect tonight’s game to be a physical, down to the wire, slugfest. I want them to know that for our team to win they will have to play harder, endure more discomfort, fight the urge to lose hope, and last longer. I know the boys from both teams will play hard but which ones will play hard longer? Which team will play hard and outlast their opponent?

I hope this is also something my guys will carry with them throughout their lives. When they get to college and life is not quite as exciting as they thought and they begin to doubt their future I pray they will last longer. There will be a day coming for them when their wife will be sick, the baby will be crying, they will be exhausted from work but I pray they will last longer. One day they will have an ill parent and they will be consumed with worry and I pray they will last longer.

I believe God expects us to last longer. When Paul wrote the verses from Philippians he was sitting in a prison in Rome. He was at a low point in his life but he knew it was a step toward reaching what he knew God had for him. We will also be faced with those moments when our minds are filled with worry about our future or the health of a loved one while our bodies are exhausted. I pray that we also will last longer.

Chad