“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”—Matthew 5:14

One of my favorite lines from the movie “Miracle” was when USA Olympics coach Herb Brooks told his players that the name on the front of their jersey was a whole lot more important than the name on the back. That touched me because of the lessons my dad taught me as my high school coach.

During my four years of high school athletics, my dad coached me in cross country, track and wrestling. It’s always interesting to have your parent as a coach. Sometimes the lines get blurred between coach and parent, but I count it a privilege to have been coached by my dad.

At the beginning of every season my dad would share a simple devotional with us. (I heard this devotional 12 times in high school.) He would read from Matthew 5:11-16 and talk about how we are the only light that some people may ever see. He would say, “When we put on our uniforms that say Anchorage Christian Schools, we automatically identify ourselves with Christ.” He would ask us what actions we were showing others as a witness for Christ.

I do this same devotional for all my teams, because it is so important for us to understand that we represent Christ first and foremost in all our actions. What name is on your jersey that you show by your actions?

— Jason Hofacker

OneCoach, part of the Sports Spectrum Network, is an international community of coaches and spouses who have been uniquely gifted and called by God. Visit OneCoach.org for more stories and videos.

RELATED LINKS:

– Michael Schlact – Diary of a Minor League Manager (Part 1)
– OneCoach: What We Teach
– Josh Mitchell on pitching in Royals organization: ‘God was every bit the reason I made it’
– Ethan Chapman: The Diary of a Minor League Baseball Player