Lessons from a Soccer Field

The coach was no nonsense as he strode onto the field, promptly beginning a warm up and practice drills. I didn’t blame him for his all-business attitude. He was without his usual two assistants that day, and given the fact that he was coaching a group of six-year-old boys, he had his work cut out for him. They had already proven to the three men what a challenge they would be in the few weeks they had practiced together. Many times, they would form a stampede around the ball, stumbling over each other in their over eagerness to kick it despite the fact that the coaches kept telling them to spread out and work as a team. That, or they would abandon the game altogether for some other distraction, such as when one of the boys caught a cricket, eliciting the excitement of his teammates and their desire to catch their own. The coach and assistants would often find themselves calling out the names of the boys two or three times before getting their attention at any given moment. It’s not that they were disobedient for the most part. They were just acting their age. With the coach alone this time, however, some of the teammates wanted to test his limits.

That particular evening, as the dragonflies hovered over the field, their translucent wings shimmering in the soon-to-be-setting sun, I watched the coach lead his young team on a jog as punishment for the bad behavior of a couple boys. Then, when one same teammate continued to misbehave, he decided that only that boy would jog the field as he jogged ahead of him to forge the path they would run.

I intently watched as the two began to jog, skirting along the edge of a scrimmage a more advanced soccer team was holding. It didn’t seem fair that the coach should have to take on the punishment of his player. At the age of these children, however, there wasn’t any other option but to run ahead. The players needed his instruction and guidance. They needed someone to lead them so they knew where to go.

That evening, I realized what a western view of discipline I must have. When I discipline Liam, it generally involves a trip alone to his room. Even CJ, as he is entering the toddler years, has been placed in his crib for disobeying. And perhaps, as I discipline my children a certain way, I have had some wrong ideas in my subconscious as to how God disciplines me. The coach shed a new light on God’s discipline for me that evening, however. Much like this man led the boy through his own punishment, God leads us in His discipline of us. He never leaves us nor forsakes us. He walks us through it like a loving Father, forging the path we must take and then guiding us through it. He is always with us, showing His love and goodness to us even then,

“For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
    and chastises every son whom he receives.”

Hebrews 12:6