LET GO, COACH SAYS
R.eflect:
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Matthew 19:21
U.nderstand:
Imagine if the rich young ruler were a recreational runner—and Jesus, a coach.
This runner was disciplined.
Solid training history.
Personal bests.
Medals to show.
From the outside, everything checked out.
Yet deep down, life still felt amiss.
So he turns to this Coach—Jesus.
How did this potential Coach fix this?
He senses that only this Coach can deal with that lingering hunger.
That thirst for fulfilment his discipline could not quite satisfy.
He had followed the process.
Built his fitness.
Earned recognition.
Won the approval of many.
But still… something was missing.
So what does he expect?
Maybe affirmation.
Maybe reassurance.
Maybe the next level of training:
Run more.
Train harder.
Increase mileage.
Another formula to get better.
But the Coach doesn’t give him more to do.
Instead, He tells him to let go.
Strip himself of his achievements.
Denounce his personal bests.
Clear out his Strava.
Give away his medals.
Start again.
That is not just hard.
That is impossible—for someone who built his identity on what he achieved.
He was willing to work harder.
To prove himself, but not to part with what proved him.
Isn’t that what we struggle with obedience often?
We are slaves of process and masters of our achievements.
Our reputation is jealously guarded when we consider what it took to get there and even when the Lord (our Coach) says “let go”, we are reluctant.
Yet we wallow in the race of life chasing after this or that high and hoping that it would cure our desire to matter, in this life and the next.
We are willing to put in the time, the effort to earn our right to be reputable.
But our Coach is saying something different.
“Let go.”
The law was made for man, not man for the law. We cannot be slaves to process.
And our achievements cannot be our masters.
Because the truth is—nothing we have is entirely our own.
Not the mileage.
Not the strength.
Not the wins.
Without Him, we can do nothing.
Without Him, we are nothing.
In Him, we live and move and have our being.
N.avigate:
- Have there been moments when your Coach asked you to let go?
- What has been difficult or painful to release—unforgiveness, pride, self-reliance?
- Are you holding on to something that defines your identity more than Christ does?
- Where might your achievements be getting in the way of your obedience? Will you name the things that stand in the way—and prayerfully lay them down before God?
0 Comments