Article July 17, 2000 Issue

Team unity

Coaching from a spiritual perspective

By David G. Shields

We were losing. I was getting upset with the boys. When I yelled at one of them from the dugout, one woman had seen enough. She taught school and was a devoted member of my church. Her advice to me was to stop thinking about winning and to start thinking about what I could do for those boys. This struck home with me.

I looked for guidance in Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy and found this statement: "Children are more tractable than adults, and learn more readily to love the simple verities that will make them happy and good" (p. 236).

During the next few weeks, I focused on how I could teach the boys some "simple verities." I focused on honesty, sportsmanship, and brotherhood. I forbade swearing. I encouraged them to praise each other's play.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

Team unity

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access