If you could be coached to do anything, what would it be? To take it a step further, imagine you could be coached by the greatest coach in the world at that particular skill. Would you choose leadership? Speaking? Managing a business? Acting?
Something drives all of us. We all strive to be something. Growing up, my dad took me to baseball coaches to instruct me in the art of hitting. Some of them helped more than others. I wonder how good I could have been if Tony Gwynn had been my coach. I went to basketball camps, trying to perfect my jump shot. There were lots of players there and individual attention was rare. I wonder how much I could have developed under one-on-one coaching from Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski.
Howard Hendricks got me thinking about this. He pointed out that the only thing the disciples ever asked Jesus to teach them was how to pray (Luke 11:1). Think about that for a moment. These knuckleheads are going to be left to spread the word about Jesus to the world. They will be faced with numerous challenges: teaching, starting and building churches, equipping others to disciple, writing letters, facing intellectual, spiritual, and physical opposition from Jews and Gentiles, Rome, each other, and oh yeah- Satan’s legions. And they have limited time with the greatest teacher to walk the Earth.
Yet, the only thing they want to be taught is how to pray. It is convicting to me. I strive to do and be. But I don’t always recognize what precedes anything I do or am. Connection with God is central. It’s where our identity lies. We will never outlive or outdo how we see ourselves. It seems like every time the disciples go looking for Jesus, they find him on his knees. Jesus really knew how dependent he was on connection with his Father. If I really saw that as crucial, then maybe I too would ask God to coach me in prayer.
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