Our Fathers, Who Art on Earth: 3 Ways My Father Impacted Me as a Christian Athlete and Coach
Happy Father's Day to all, whether you're a father, a wife, a son, a daughter, or whatever else you are. Today, we're going to explore three important ways that my father impacted me growing up and how that helped shape me as an athlete and as a coach for Christ.
Ground Zero: The Gift of Life
Before diving into the three ways, I have to acknowledge ground zero - my father is responsible for giving me life. While I won't get into the nuts and bolts of this subject, I'm aware that my father is 50% responsible for why I'm here today. And although I'd like to brag about being some kind of immaculate conception, I think God had someone else in mind for that!
1. Being a Rock
The first way my father impacted me was by being a rock in my life - a model of stability and dependability. Not only did he maintain a solid job that provided for me and my family, but he was always there whenever I needed him. Whether I was in the hospital going through medical challenges, participating in school sports, or dealing with life in general, my dad was consistently present.
This shaped me as an athlete and coach by teaching me to be that same rock and model of stability for my team. Instead of getting caught up in the emotional highs and lows of the game, I learned to stay steady and execute precisely when needed.
2. Teaching Different Thinking
When I needed help with homework problems, my father wouldn't simply give me the answers or show me how to solve them. Instead, he would find similar problems with different numbers and teach me the processes so I could figure things out independently. Even after preschool, when I'd recite Bible verses, he'd ask, "All right, that's what the verse says, but what does it actually mean?"
My father never just hired others to fix things - he would research solutions online and do it himself. This approach helped me shape my own beliefs and values, see what was true for me inside, and learn on the fly - skills that proved invaluable in creating an online business and raising funds for ministry.
3. Freedom to Discover
The third way my father impacted me was by giving me the freedom to discover who I really am. Rather than pushing me toward chemical engineering, he supported my desire to pursue exercise science, psychology, and nutrition. Instead of forcing baseball to be my favorite sport, he let me discover my natural gravitation toward basketball.
As a kid, he encouraged me to try many different activities - from water skiing to hiking, cooking to playing guitar. This freedom helped me discover what truly gave me passion in life and allowed me to find who I was on the basketball court, as a coach, and as a child of God.
Our Heavenly Father
While I'm deeply grateful for how my father impacted me in these ways, I'm even more thankful for my heavenly Father who has done the same for all of us. God gave us life even before our earthly parents existed, even before the world itself. We were a thought in the mind of God, and He is responsible for creating us - there is divinity in our DNA.
God is our ultimate rock - a source of stability, dependable and unchanging, the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is the alpha and omega, the first and last, always has been and always will be, a refuge whenever we need it.
Just as my earthly father taught me to think differently, God gives us a wonderful mind to solve problems and guides us to think through the spirit. Where the world tells us to think about power or greed, God directs us toward unity, upliftment, and abundance for all. Where the world speaks of fear, God teaches us about love.
Finally, like my father's gift of freedom to discover myself, God gives us the freedom to discover who we truly are, to choose our path, and to enter into a conscious relationship with Him. He gives us the choice to remove ourselves from the external noise of this world and tune into our true identity as lights and children of God.
Athletes and coaches for Christ, have a happy Father’s Day, and I send love, gratitude, peace, and blessings to you!
May GOD inspire YOU every step of your way,
Kyle
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