In new territory

Yesterday I finished writing the state letters. Every year at state I give each runner a letter. I usually tell them what I’ve been most impressed with or how they’ve grown. Sometimes I share a favorite memory I had of them from the season.  I love the opportunity I have to call out the greatness in them, to draw their attention to how God has gifted them or to let them know I’ve noticed their character.  I love getting to encourage them.  I actually read each kid’s letter at our team meeting the night before the state race.  This is often a time where I shed a tear or two, especially about my seniors who I will be losing.  The veteran runners like to mess with me; as the team meeting approaches they’ll say ‘you gonna cry, Coach? Yeah you’re gonna cry.’ Sometimes I do, but usually I’m a master at keeping the tears at bay. I have no seniors this year so I’m expecting a dry run. But I guess we’ll see. I’ll let you know in my post season blog.

Every cross country season feels like the best season.  Every team feels like my favorite team. Every year it seems like that year, everyone got closer; that year the team was really special.  So I was wondering if this was just the way it felt because I was simply comparing something in the present which was new and raw to something in the past which would make it irrelevant.  That is what I suspected anyway.  After I was done writing my letters I got to thinking about that theory that every year felt special only because it was the present.  So I went back and read all the letters from previous teams, fully expecting my theory to be proven right. 

Yeah. That’s a negative, people. I was shocked to find out my little theory had no evidence to support it.  First thing I noticed was how much longer this year’s batch of letters were.  This year I had so much more to say about each kid. Next thing I noticed was how much more I actually saw in this group.  These kids have the most amazing personalities; they have truly unique giftedness in their character.  And then the details.  I had so many more poignant memories, so many more impressive moments this season.  All the previous years’ letters read about the same, some more than others.  My team 2 years ago was a really special group.  But even those letters didn’t compare to what I will say this year. 

So I find myself in new territory. Maybe all those previous years God was growing me and developing me to be ready, to be worthy to get this special group of kids.  I don’t really know how I’m going to handle this season ending.  But I am already thanking God that I won’t have to lose anybody and I get to have this particular group for 2 years.  He always gives the most amazing gifts. He gave me these 12 runners. And He gave them to me for 2 years.  I seriously have to be the most blessed coach on the planet. 

2013 Region poem

Yesterday the team won their 3rd region championship.  And it wasn't an easy win either. But going in they knew what they had to do and got it done.  Those of you who have been reading the blog for a while know that I always write a poem as the meet motivation for the Region Championships.  If you go back enough posts you can read all the previous ones. This year's poem, like all the rest, reflects the cadence, tone, feel, and heart of the team and the season. And if you've been following us this season, you know it's all about the relentlessness. 

RELENTLESS

It’s this team’s tradition that the meet of Region

Has always called for a poetic motivation

Where Coach gets the opportunity to reminisce

And there’s so much to say about this team

This season, whose glorious theme

Was divinely ordained, and proven: Relentless!

You took on more than anyone before

The mileage, the workouts, every chore

I gave you, my warriors, you didn’t fight against this

Each harder requirement, and every extra grueling set

I found, to my delight, could this year, actually be met

Producing times that could only be described as momentous

Though young, you must’ve considered yourselves men

Given, you thought you could handle level tens

Shockingly, you did, and it was my honor to bear witness

What I’ve made you do, could easily be called sadistic

Yet you disdainfully greeted each torture with a resounding ‘That’s it?’

When truthfully, my training’s been hell and I need your forgiveness

But I would never ask for it; as that would disgrace

This epic reputation you’ve chosen to embrace

Of being strong enough to take on the painfully horrendous

You have made it through hell; it’s a tale worth the tell

That somehow ya’ll have endured and survived it well

A feat that classifies as indisputably stupendous

You’ve been forced to make all but Cross Country a trifle

And it made me proud to call you 12, my disciples

Whose commitment to the theme of the team produced our successes

So like every team, every year, you’ve been forged into a family

But this year it’s become more: a far superior entity

Because you, this family, has proven to be: surely and truly Relentless!

Relentless Love

I have less than 3 weeks to finish this Cross Country season that was ordained with the theme of ‘Relentless.’ So I’m sitting here listening to one of my favorite worship songs (‘You Won’t Relent’ by Misty Edwards) and reflecting on God’s relentless pursuit of his children.  The song starts out with the lyrics ‘You won’t relent until you have it all; my heart is yours.’  I had a sneaky suspicion God was going to teach me a lot about his relentlessness this season.  And He has, as He always loves to teach me through my greatest passions. 

In the beginning I told the runners about the theme and they have been all about it (you can read about that here).  In fact, they made it easy for me to be a relentless coach for a while. Because no matter what I threw at them, it was disdainfully met with the phrase: ‘That’s it?!’  So I just kept getting harder, just kept piling on more miles…. And they kept taking it.  You would think this would be a coach’s dream! And it was for a long time. But then it got exhausting and it got hard. For the first time in my life I didn’t look forward to writing a practice. I was researching countless exercises, training plans, and struggling with my own intuition, all in a pursuit to give each new relentless workout.  I’ve had to balance brutality with fears of injury; I’ve had to be mean when I didn’t want to be; and I’ve had to deal with something that feels like guilt over the sacrifices I’ve made them give and the pain I’ve had to watch them endure.  And yet all the while, I never considered relenting.  Which drove me to God’s lesson, this question: Why?  Why not be content; why keep pushing, why cause pain, why all the extra planning and longer practices, why risk making the runners hate the sport. And I only have one answer to the why. Love.

Throughout this season many things have battled for my runners attentions.  I have had to fight for a place of high priority.  I’ve taken on such idols as girlfriends, travel soccer, and sleep, always requiring the runners to prioritize their training. And in some of those battles neither I nor the runner escaped without some wounds. So why did I keep battling? Why keep fighting (it’s just a sport afterall), the only answer that makes sense is Love, jealous love.  I have gained a small bit of understanding of what God feels like when we choose things other than Him to occupy our time and energy.

Love is why I’m unrelenting. I love my 12 runners, my disciples. I want only the best for them. I want to see them become what they are capable of. I want them to discover the greatness that lies in each of them, greatness I see that they don’t yet.  And I am willing to put them through the fire to see that come about.  And so I have also gained a microbit of understanding into God’s immense love for me.  How he relentlessly pursues me, relentlessly trains me; and that he hurts when I hurt but sends me into battle anyway to produce the growth He wants to see, growth that turns me into who He created me to be.

The next part of the ‘You Won’t Relent’ song is from Song of Solomon:

“For there is Love that is as strong as death, jealousy demanding as the grave; many waters cannot quench this Love.”

His love is a Relentless Pursuit. And He demands it all.