In the heat of competition, and in the spirit of protecting players on your team, coaches sometimes say things or react in ways to the opposing coach that may hurt their Christian witness. This happened at least twice to me during my 28 years of coaching. On one such occasion, one long year after the confrontation, I felt compelled to ask a coach to forgive me. He did. There was great freedom in that act of forgiveness. I didn’t become any less of a competitor but it helped me mature as a coach and as a Christian.
“He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.” (Martin Luther King)
“…forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
(Colossians 3:13)
Keith Madison
SCORE International