This story appears in FCA Magazine’s July/August 2015 issue. Subscribe today!
The heat is rising as days of inspiration and perspiration at FCA Camps have commenced. All around the world, coaches, athletes and many others are learning how Jesus lived an undefeated life and what it means to commit their competition to Him.
The "Undefeated" FCA Camp theme for 2015 is based on 1 Corinthians 15:57, which is such a great verse with a sports-related message tucked inside: “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!”
Victory is the ultimate goal of all competitors. A season full of victories and zero defeats is the ultimate of all ultimate goals, the most rare of feats—the undefeated season.
In my 32 years of coaching and the years that have followed as a spectator, rarely have I seen a team go undefeated. We would strive for perfection each season, but realistically we knew it was likely unattainable. No matter how many hours are poured into preparation for each game and practice, at some point you can only hope the ball bounces your way in close games and victories will follow. That’s why almost every team or individual encounters a loss somewhere along the way.
None of my teams ever achieved a perfect season. We occasionally came close, which leads me to believe that when people prepare themselves as well as they can, then near-perfection is a possibility. I know you’ve heard the “practice makes perfect” phrase. In truth, practice and preparation can lead to near-perfection, but I honestly believe as humans we don’t have the capacity to be perfect. Yes, occasionally the win-loss column might indicate that we didn’t lose a game, but there are so many other facets of competition in which we weren’t perfect.
And life is no different than the sports we play.
Humanity’s perfection came to a quick end in the Garden of Eden. Luckily for us, that wasn’t really the end. God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, who lived a sinless, flawless, perfect life. The one and only true God and true man faced the same trials and temptations we face on a daily basis, but He never once succumbed to sin. He was perfect, and, because of His death on the cross in our place and His undefeated record against sin and death, we too can claim perfection and everlasting life.
This summer, coaches and athletes will encounter that amazing and life-changing truth at FCA Camps. At my first FCA Camp experience in 1972, I saw 700 boys sit motionless listening to Dallas Cowboys legend Roger Staubach as he articulated his personal relationship with Christ and the saving truth of the gospel. That moment and many others from summers past are embedded forever in my mind.
Can you imagine how impactful camp is on the coaches and athletes who give their lives to Christ for the first time? Those moments, where they encounter the living God in all of His immaculate majesty, are ones they’ll never forget. In those moments, we see a glimpse of the promise of perfection to come in eternity with our Heavenly Father.
We can prepare to be perfect, strive for an undefeated season, and hope to live a sinless life, but all of our efforts will always fall short. Instead, we only need to turn our attention to the One who already lived the undefeated, perfect and sinless life in our place.
I’m truly excited to hear the stories from FCA Camp this summer, where coaches and athletes across the globe will encounter Jesus for the first time and be inspired to compete for His glory.
Model the Master,
Les Steckel
FCA President/CEO
-FCA-
–This article appears in the July/August 2015 issue of FCA Magazine. To view the issue digitally, click here: July/August 2015 FCA Mag Digital
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