Pastor's Message
January 2022
Are You Coachable?
With the coming of the new year, many people make resolutions or goals, whether personal or professional. It’s good to have goals, but do you have the physical, mental, or emotional wherewithal to accomplish those goals? Are they short-lived or life-style changing? More importantly, are you coachable?
On January 2, Pastor James Mattek will be our guest preacher. He is the Director of Ministry for Christian Family Solutions, the counseling arm of our synod (affiliated with but not financially support by the WELS). Knowing a little bit about counseling, most people go to counseling to help with a particular is-sue. Many come of their own accord, but others are ordered by the court or brought in by family members or close friends. No matter the reason, all have to come to grips with the question: Are you coachable?
What I mean by that is are you willing to put your pride aside and listen to someone else’s insight? This will certainly involve criticism. (If you had it all down, you wouldn’t need counseling.) It involves learning new skills or modifying old ones that aren’t quite working right. It means practice and application.
We might think of this in terms of athletic teams. Most teams have coaches, and those coaches generally have more knowledge or insight than the player. Some players are willing to be coached. They are willing to put aside their pride and learn new techniques, new skills, and situational aware-ness. The best players are usually the ones who want to be coached the hardest. They are constantly striving to get better, rather than be satisfied with the status quo.
What about you? Will you make a New Year’s resolution this year? Maybe it’s to lose a few pounds or start an exercise regimen or commit to a new hobby or some sort of personal growth and development. Again, are you coachable? Are you willing to listen to experts on proper eating and the kinds of exercises you should be doing? Are you willing to read the book, do the home-work, and practice the skill, or will it be the same old same old you’ve always done? The wise seek the counsel of experts and follow through on their guidance.
What about spiritually speaking? The question still applies. Are you coachable spiritually? The same rules apply. Am I willing to look honestly at myself in the mirror of God’s law? Am I willing to humble myself before the Lord and admit my frailty and sin? Am I willing to acknowledge my own stubbornness and the cravings of my sinful nature? More than that, am I willing to learn and grow in my faith and in my life of sanctification? Am I willing to daily walk humbly with the Lord?
The truth is that we are all a work in progress. None of us is perfect this side of heaven. Each of us has ways to grow. And God wants us to grow. Remember, he is the Vine, and we are the branches. And the master Gardener prunes us so that we grow and mature and bear abundant fruit (John 15).
“The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:28-31)
~ Pastor Ben Golisch
Are You Coachable?
With the coming of the new year, many people make resolutions or goals, whether personal or professional. It’s good to have goals, but do you have the physical, mental, or emotional wherewithal to accomplish those goals? Are they short-lived or life-style changing? More importantly, are you coachable?
On January 2, Pastor James Mattek will be our guest preacher. He is the Director of Ministry for Christian Family Solutions, the counseling arm of our synod (affiliated with but not financially support by the WELS). Knowing a little bit about counseling, most people go to counseling to help with a particular is-sue. Many come of their own accord, but others are ordered by the court or brought in by family members or close friends. No matter the reason, all have to come to grips with the question: Are you coachable?
What I mean by that is are you willing to put your pride aside and listen to someone else’s insight? This will certainly involve criticism. (If you had it all down, you wouldn’t need counseling.) It involves learning new skills or modifying old ones that aren’t quite working right. It means practice and application.
We might think of this in terms of athletic teams. Most teams have coaches, and those coaches generally have more knowledge or insight than the player. Some players are willing to be coached. They are willing to put aside their pride and learn new techniques, new skills, and situational aware-ness. The best players are usually the ones who want to be coached the hardest. They are constantly striving to get better, rather than be satisfied with the status quo.
What about you? Will you make a New Year’s resolution this year? Maybe it’s to lose a few pounds or start an exercise regimen or commit to a new hobby or some sort of personal growth and development. Again, are you coachable? Are you willing to listen to experts on proper eating and the kinds of exercises you should be doing? Are you willing to read the book, do the home-work, and practice the skill, or will it be the same old same old you’ve always done? The wise seek the counsel of experts and follow through on their guidance.
What about spiritually speaking? The question still applies. Are you coachable spiritually? The same rules apply. Am I willing to look honestly at myself in the mirror of God’s law? Am I willing to humble myself before the Lord and admit my frailty and sin? Am I willing to acknowledge my own stubbornness and the cravings of my sinful nature? More than that, am I willing to learn and grow in my faith and in my life of sanctification? Am I willing to daily walk humbly with the Lord?
The truth is that we are all a work in progress. None of us is perfect this side of heaven. Each of us has ways to grow. And God wants us to grow. Remember, he is the Vine, and we are the branches. And the master Gardener prunes us so that we grow and mature and bear abundant fruit (John 15).
“The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:28-31)
~ Pastor Ben Golisch