Do you remember when the football coach would yell this at the team or an individual, “The day I quit yelling at you is the day I don’t care if you’re on the team or not anymore!” The coach was always trying to get us to improve.

During a junior varsity football game in Garden City one night, I was doing my best to avoid the middle linebacker in the first half. That guy had hit me so hard on a play that I had become intimidated of him. I was an offensive end and on sweeps to my side of the line my job was to double team the defensive tackle with our offensive tackle just briefly, then I was to step into the path of the linebacker and take him out of the play. So as an intimidated football player, I was only doing half my job on sweeps to my side. I was just staying with the double team on the defensive tackle.

During half-time our football coach looked me directly in the eyes and said, “I am disappointed in how you are playing.” The coach knew exactly what I was doing. I also knew exactly what I had been doing.

Well for the next ten minutes of half-time I did some soul searching. I had to decide if I was going to do my duty or quit. You can still be out for football, but be a quitter. You quit doing your job. Eventually, the coach will put you on the bench and you may never again get the opportunity to prove yourself.

When the second half started I knew what was coming. The coach was going to call a sweep to my side just to see what I was going to do. Several plays into the second half the sweep play was called. When the ball was snapped I helped double team the defensive tackle briefly and then stepped into the path of the middle linebacker. I can still see the play in my minds eye as I approach the linebacker. My eye is fixed on the ear hole on the helmet of the linebacker. The next thing that happened was this huge collision. Other than the several concussions I sustained playing football, this collision was right up there in the top 10 of my greatest hits!

In life today who is telling you they are disappointed in you and trying to get you to improve? Who is your coach? You have to have a really good friend who will step out of his comfort zone to tell you that you may need to change or improve in some area of your life. Maybe your priest or pastor might give a really good sermon or talk sometime that might get you to thinking about what you need to improve or change in your life.

The Holy Spirit is also here on earth constantly working on us and trying to get us to change or improve our lives. The Holy Spirit wants us to repent and come into a relationship with God the Father. This is a quote of Jesus below:

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things.

We all need to improve and change our ways. We need transformed all the way into our souls, the only part of you that will still be alive a 100 years from now! Listen to the coach, the Holy Spirit; he won’t give up on you, until you quit breathing on this earth.