“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” — Galatians 2:20

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Someone thought it was a mid-life crisis. In reality, it was a door the Lord opened that has been such a wonderful gift. It started when my husband learned that two of his assistant cross-country coaches wouldn’t be able to come back for the next school year. Summer practices were starting soon and he was going to have up to 40 young people, and be down two coaches. I volunteered to help. I thought it would be a summer gig, but a year later, I’m still out there. My husband oversees the program and works with the varsity teams, and I get to work alongside him and two other great coaches.

Year 1 was the honeymoon phase. My husband did the heavy lifting and I got to be the easygoing coach. Year 2 has been different. My husband still does the heavy lifting, but I’m learning more about the weight a coach carries. There are so many decisions you make each day, from training challenges to how to handle a discipline issue to being a sounding board for young athletes who are also carrying a lot on their plates.

Long after practice is over, I find myself replaying interactions and wondering if I handled them correctly. It can wear on you. The good thing about feeling overwhelmed is that it is a wonderful reminder that we need God. Perhaps that’s why I found myself talking to God about Galatians 2:20 (above) recently. I’d heard it many times, but what would it look like day in and day out to acknowledge Christ and invite Him to live in and through me?

I headed out for practice. Our normal afternoon practice had to be rescheduled due to higher-than-normal heat and humidity levels. It was Day 2 of 5:45 a.m. workouts and I was feeling it. I realized I needed to look to God for new strength. I saw several of our runners and they looked weary too. We paused to pray for new strength as a team. I can only answer for how the Lord answered that prayer for me. I had started practice weary, but God met me in some special ways and before I knew it, practice was over, our miles were logged, and my heart felt lighter.

I headed with the team back to the gym to get them in the locker rooms so they could get ready for school. As I was leaving, I was still thinking about the goodness of God. I noticed a teacher walking toward me. Her arms were full with a load she was carrying. I offered to help and she accepted. As we carried her things to her classroom, she thanked me and said she had wondered how she was going to manage getting into the school with her arms full. I was happy to help her. As I walked back toward the parking lot, I heard a buzz. My GPS watch was pushing out a notification. It had one word on it: Goal!

God in His goodness connected the dots. Looking to God for strength, seeing the needs of those around us, praying for others, and offering a helping hand — yet not I, but Christ. I make things so difficult running around like a crazy woman sometimes, but the goal is just to live each moment with a dependence on God and a love for others.

I know I coach cross-country, but at that moment, I pictured a soccer player sliding on a field of bright green grass after the perfect shot. I could hear the words of an excited announcer: “GOOOAAAALLLLL!” And as I type this, I can’t help but notice a word play and think of Jesus’ words to us: go into all the world and preach the Gospel … Goal!

— Rachel Gibbons

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