“This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” — Psalm 118:24 (NKJV)

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Back in 1974, I started my coaching career. I loved my job so much I remember asking myself if it could get any better — followed by, “No way, this is the greatest job any human could ever have.”

Unfortunately, I was young and immature in my thinking and it took me several years to realize I was coaching for all the wrong reasons. Years into my coaching career, the days got longer, the issues coaches must deal with became greater, and the joy of coaching became smaller. I concluded that it was a job, not a ministry.

Fast forward 25 years, I was given the opportunity to be the head of athletics for a start-up Christian high school in Southern California. Thank the Lord I was continuing to grow in my walk with Him. The school grew quickly and I started to really enjoy my job again.

There were a lot of individuals who poured into my life, but three men in particular — all coaches — had the most influence on my coaching career: John Wooden, Bobby Bowden and Joe Erhmann. Each of these men lived a life that honored God, and they were not shy about sharing their faith. Coach Wooden’s books guided me into being a better coach, Coach Bowden’s testimony pushed me into spending more time in God’s Word daily, and Coach Erhmann’s book “InSideOut Coaching” helped me gain the courage to share Jesus with anyone at any time.

Ehrmann’s book has also helped me mentor young coaches into being transformational and not transactional. Using what Coach Erhmann shared on how to coach from the heart in a transformational way completely changed my coaching career. Listening to Coach Bowden share how he would get up early, usually around 4:30 a.m., do his devotions, read God’s Word and spend time in prayer ignited something in me that I did not think was possible. I started getting up at 5 a.m. for devotions, reading God’s Word and spending time with Him through prayer. Doing this every morning helped me use what Coach Wooden had shared about God, family, players and life.

Through these other coaches, Jesus showed me why He guided me into coaching: I am to use the platform God has given me to share Jesus with young people through the sport they play, and teach them the best way possible to help them succeed in their sport and their life with Jesus as their Guide, Lord and Savior. Winning games is important, but knowing Jesus and living a life to honor Him is the ultimate.

For me it all clicked when I began starting my day with Jesus. Psalm 118:24 (NKJV) says, “This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

How do you start your day?

I would never have thought after 50 years of being a coach (I took one year off) that I would be coaching coaches and mentoring teachers and students as an athletic chaplain. Thank you to Coach Wooden, Coach Bowden, Coach Erhmann, and, most of all, to Jesus my Lord and Savior for guiding me down the right path for all the right reasons.

I can honestly say every morning when my feet hit the floor: Psalm 118:24! Thank You, Jesus!

What do you think about each morning?

— Mr. Jan Hethcock

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