Have you ever been challenged in your coaching thinking you had a great practice plan laid out and it didn't go according to said plan? I sure have! Recently, I was reminded how fun, encouraging, and rewarding yet challenging it can be to coach a team no matter the age level. I am volunteer coaching a 3 year old soccer team that has a short practice and "game" on the same day. It has been a blast the last 7 weeks. A week ago I designed what I thought was going to be an epic time with the kids - they could be a race car driver - Lightning McQueen - from the movie, "Cars" driving (kick) their soccer ball (race car) around the cones (race track). A plan that would get these kids ready to go and off to the races! It didn't go as planned.😆 I introduced the concept and saw a few kids attempting to kick around each cone. In my head, it looked differently than it turned out. Did the kids have fun - sure they did! I, on the other hand, thought more about how I was looking to the parents of my team than thinking how to re-engage in a different game with the kids. In that moment, I felt like a failure and was frustrated. One who couldn't explain to the precious kiddos my hope for the short drill/game. Later that day, I realized how caught up I was in that 10 minute time frame. I became focused on me verses what God wanted to teach me in that moment. "Jenny, You are not a failure. Your plan may have failed/not gone your way. But my plans don't fail." Grateful for the Lord's gentle reminder, redirection of my focus back to Him through the Holy Spirit.

Posted by Jenny Young at 2023-10-02 21:39:03 UTC