A couple summers ago I was fortunate to travel to Manchester, England, as a coach for a lacrosse tour. The tour was a wonderful success and both the players and coaches made some awesome lifelong connections. For me, however, it went much deeper.

One of Coach John Wooden’s favorite Bible figures is Job. That might seem an odd choice for the man known for leading the UCLA Bruins to a record-smashing 10 NCAA men’s basketball championships, producing a slew of All-Americans and developing NBA stars such as Lew Alcindor (now Kareem Abdul Jabbar), Bill Walton, Walt Hazzard, Marques Johnson and Henry Bibby.

But for the people who know Wooden best, the choice isn’t the least bit surprising, as can be extracted from one of the Bible’s most straightforward passages: “There was a man in the country of Uz named Job. He was a man of perfect integrity, who feared God and turned away from evil” (Job 1:1).

As athletes, we workout to better ourselves for competition. We hit the weights to gain strength, speed and size. But have you ever had one of those days in which your strength wasn't where you wanted it to be or you just didn't feel strong? If you compete long enough, you’re bound to have those days occasionally.

Have you ever had one of those days in life where you were feeling the same way spiritually? Like you just weren’t strong in your faith at all? In those times, we have to remember that it is not about us, it's about Jesus Christ. He is the One who gives us strength. It says in Psalm 33:16: "A king is not saved by a large army; a warrior will not be delivered by great strength."

As athletes and coaches, we have a tendency to dream big. We dream of championships and of finding success on the field or court. But sometimes we forget that we are already champions in Christ, and that God has big dreams for us of His own! Just what are some of those dreams?

I used to love going to airports when I was in college. My teammates, coaches and I would proudly sport our team sweats as we went through security, grabbed coffee and waited for the plane. As a bunch of women all dressed the same we were definitely noticed and we were never alone; we experienced the trip together. I just loved being a part of a team.

As a coach and a player it can be a challenge to have the right attitude. Many times we will say of a player, “He needs an attitude adjustment,” or “Her attitude stinks,” or especially, “If he had the right attitude, he could be a great player.”

Sometimes when we are experiencing winning, we can have a prideful or cocky attitude that is not pleasing to God. Sometimes we need to be humbled, and that humbling can be quite painful.

As a young coach I had a short fuse, especially when it came to dealing with men in stripes. It was hard keeping my mouth shut, and I often said things that got me in trouble. One game in particular, I thought my team was being treated unfairly, and I was quick to point it out. Late in the game, I stood up and yelled, “What?!” It was only one word, but the officials had heard enough. I got a technical foul that cost my team the game.