This week I have been posting Tony Dungy's comments on the core values of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). Today, Tony discusses...
Excellence
I talk about excellence a lot because, I think, from a Christian perspective, that can get lost. We talk so much about how it’s “just God’s will” and that we want to serve Him, but He wants us to be excellent in what we do. I love Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians that in a race we all run to receive a prize, but he says to run to win. We can’t forget that part.
Now, we are bound by rules, and we are not going to cheat or do certain things to win, but that is still the goal: to be excellent. And there is nothing wrong with that. As Christians, it is great to be able to show the world that, yes, we can do it the Lord’s way, but we can be excellent while we do it.
What it means to be an excellent coach:Being an excellent coach means doing everything as well as you can do it. That is everything from preparing your players to dealing with the media. Whatever is in front of me, whatever is on my plate as a coach, I want to do it as well as I can because there is never a time when I am not to be exemplifying Christ. Whether it is running simple drills behind the scenes during practice or making a decision with one minute left in the Super Bowl, I am going to do it as well as I possibly can. I think that is part of what the Lord wants us to do.
Common areas in which we skimp on excellence:
We are all human, and I think we all have a drive to succeed; but once we reach a certain level, we think, “I’m doing OK. I’m doing well enough in my position.” Regarding the drive to be better and better, we sometimes think it is wrong, but there is nothing wrong with that drive as long as it is carried out in the right way with the right perspective.
It’s human nature to say, “Well, I won’t give 100 percent. I’ll give just enough to do my job well.” Or, if I am lifting weights, to say, “I could do one more repetition, but I don’t want to push it.” But the Lord would say, “Do as well as you can with the gifts I’ve given you.”
What I look at is whether or not we are doing absolutely everything we can with the talent and opportunity that God gives us. That’s how I see excellence. I can win every game and still not be playing excellent if I am not giving everything that God is giving me.
Excellence
I talk about excellence a lot because, I think, from a Christian perspective, that can get lost. We talk so much about how it’s “just God’s will” and that we want to serve Him, but He wants us to be excellent in what we do. I love Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians that in a race we all run to receive a prize, but he says to run to win. We can’t forget that part.
Now, we are bound by rules, and we are not going to cheat or do certain things to win, but that is still the goal: to be excellent. And there is nothing wrong with that. As Christians, it is great to be able to show the world that, yes, we can do it the Lord’s way, but we can be excellent while we do it.
What it means to be an excellent coach:Being an excellent coach means doing everything as well as you can do it. That is everything from preparing your players to dealing with the media. Whatever is in front of me, whatever is on my plate as a coach, I want to do it as well as I can because there is never a time when I am not to be exemplifying Christ. Whether it is running simple drills behind the scenes during practice or making a decision with one minute left in the Super Bowl, I am going to do it as well as I possibly can. I think that is part of what the Lord wants us to do.
Common areas in which we skimp on excellence:
We are all human, and I think we all have a drive to succeed; but once we reach a certain level, we think, “I’m doing OK. I’m doing well enough in my position.” Regarding the drive to be better and better, we sometimes think it is wrong, but there is nothing wrong with that drive as long as it is carried out in the right way with the right perspective.
It’s human nature to say, “Well, I won’t give 100 percent. I’ll give just enough to do my job well.” Or, if I am lifting weights, to say, “I could do one more repetition, but I don’t want to push it.” But the Lord would say, “Do as well as you can with the gifts I’ve given you.”
What I look at is whether or not we are doing absolutely everything we can with the talent and opportunity that God gives us. That’s how I see excellence. I can win every game and still not be playing excellent if I am not giving everything that God is giving me.
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