Turning Setbacks into Stepping Stones: A Coach's Journey of Faith and Resilience

This episode explores the journey of a coach learning that setbacks can be setups for a greater purpose, driven by faith in God’s timing. It emphasizes the importance of resilience, personal growth, and recognizing the unseen details guiding our paths.

• The significance of divine timing amidst uncertainty 
• Personal experiences with the coaching application process 
• Turning disappointments into opportunities 
• The impact of faith on individual performance in sports 
• Lessons learned from coaching young athletes 
• The importance of mentorship and personal accountability 
• Encouragement for listeners feeling lost or undervalued 
• Closing reflections on trusting the process and God’s plan

Transcript

Trust in God for Success

Speaker 1 0:00

You're listening to Excellence Above Talent , a podcast where we have the hard conversations about the lives of men and what leads us to achieve greatness and suffer defeat . Hear from other men's journeys as well , as we all learn and grow together to become inspirations to ourselves and those around us . And now your host , Aaron Thomas .

Speaker 2 0:35

What's up my beautiful people , aaron Thomas , with Excellence Above Talent , as you can hear , my voice will be coming in and out on this podcast . Every time I coach the next couple of days I lose my voice . So I'm kind of in like that tweener period where it's coming back , but it also sounds raspy too . So I wanted to jump on because I want to be more intentional in releasing podcasts , having conversations . I have a few guys lined up that I'm excited to hear about talk to . But today I want to talk about God being in the details and how , when you think that you've done all you could in a situation and it doesn't work out the way you want it to , you could get frustrated , angry , upset . But it's funny how God works . What we think is a setback is a setup for what he wants from you . So last year around March there was a coach leaving Nimitz and we all knew he was leaving and I wanted to coach , wanted to . So Nimitz had a person willing to not get paid a lot of money for extra work early morning , late nights , you know , dealing with student athletes . They had a person wanting to do it . So I went to the principal and the coordinator and I said , hey , I want to coach . They didn't say no , they didn't say yes . It was kind of maybe like , oh , yes , excitement , cool , we want you to coach .

Speaker 2 2:22

A month go by , nothing is happening . Or said , so I go and I ask the coordinator again like , hey , are we good ? I get a definite like yes , we're good , we got you , we just got to go get some paperwork done and we'll get you in . I said , cool , I don't hear anything from him . I think I talked to the principal , maybe one more time , and at this point they're like go ask the coordinator , go ask the principal .

Speaker 2 2:48

And I'm that type of person , like man , I'm not fitting to be begging y'all for something that I want to do . So I just made the assumption I wasn't coaching this year . So fast forward to the end of school year and I haven't heard anything . But I'm still keeping hope that they're gonna say , yes , I can coach . We have the end of the school year professional development and we're sitting there and I'm talking to the coaches and they're like yeah , oh , yeah , this is what you know . If they get you on super excited , you bring a different element to what these young boys need . Talk to the coordinator . He's like yeah , yeah , you're good to go um .

Speaker 2 3:25

So I'm like cool sitting in the cafeteria the coordinator jumps up oh , that's the guy I'm trying to hire . So I'm like , damn , like , without saying it , they're letting me know no , you're not coaching . No , we don't believe that you are able to coach the kids that we have . And so I just made the assumption yeah , I'm pretty sure I'm not coaching . So I teach summer school . Don't hear anything .

Speaker 2 3:51

During summer school they have a sprint and training session at Permian for the kids that are there , and you know I wasn't asked to go , I wasn't invited . So , yeah , in my head , not coaching , I'll just be teaching math . And this will definitely be my final year , because I am a person that believes in . If people that you're working with doesn't believe in you or doesn't think you are capable of doing something that you know you're capable of , it is your time to leave , and so I was going to give them one more year and then figure it out somewhere else . So summer rolls around , coming back to school , so it's like a five-month period coordinator calls me and was like hey , do you still want to coach ? And I'm like like , yeah , that's a dumb question , but yeah . So he's like okay , meet me at Permian , because the coach want to talk to you to see if you could be a fit . I was like cool , so I go to Permian , talk to their athletic director . He's like yeah , you're good to go , we'll just have , we'll make a few calls and we'll get you in , mind you that I've already missed all the things that I needed to be at in order to learn plays and to teach the positions that I was going to teach .

Speaker 2 5:14

They called the principal at Nimitz and she's like no , just straight up . No , because I am a math teacher and she didn't want to lose classes , because as a coach , you teach fewer classes and she didn't want to lose a person that was teaching math , a core subject . Now , could she have changed the schedule if she wanted to to figure it out ? Yes , I mean , if you really wanted to make something work for someone that you wanted to make work , then you would have figured out a way to make it work again . I don't think that they thought it was necessary . I wasn't , you know a big deal .

Speaker 2 5:53

So she said no . I said , well , that's what it is , and they were trying to hire , I mean , someone very quickly , because school year was coming up and I think there was one guy that accepted it , declined it and went somewhere else . There was another guy that did not want to coach . He just wanted to teach , and so they were kind of in a pickle in a jam . So I got another call saying , hey , do you want to coach ? And I'm like , okay , at this point this is dumb . I'm not even sure why we're having this conversation , but yeah , if you're able to get me to coach , I'll coach .

Speaker 2 6:31

We have like maybe three days left before school starts . I'm buying all math things because I'm going to be teaching math , so I'm buying post boards , I'm buying letters for the room . I'm trying to spruce up my room , make it inviting . That Thursday I get a text saying hey , I think it's going to happen . Be on the lookout . Tomorrow , friday is half a day , monday we start school . So I get a call to the principal's office on Friday and she's sitting down and she's telling me like hey , so essentially , without saying it , no one else wanted this job .

Speaker 2 7:10

Do you want to coach ? That's essentially what happened and I said , yes , I do , I still want to coach . So they told me well , you're going to have to go into social studies and coach . And I know I'm weird because I prefer math , but I was like , okay , cool . So I got to coach , or found out , I got to coach the weekend before school started . School starts .

Speaker 2 7:37

I'm there in the locker room , frustrated somewhat , because now I'm teaching the offensive linemen and linebackers and I don't have what I need in order to succeed , because it was one of those things where they were looking for somebody . No one took it and the one that wanted the job , it just , kind of it , fell back to me , and it's not like a fallback , it is a to me . It's not being overlooked . This was a a God moment for me to show me that if something is yours , it is yours no matter what . No one can take it from you , regardless of whatever power they think they have , if you show up and you do what is necessary to be in a place where he can put you where he wants you to be . That just lets me know that the sky is the limit , that there's nothing that I can't do as a human being if I have God on my side , if that makes sense . So there was this .

Impact of Trusting God in Details

Speaker 2 8:45

Sometimes you let ego get involved , like I can't believe . Do these people not know who I am , what I've done , what I can do to the atmosphere , the culture ? It's proven . So that's . You know . The ego wants to . You know , get involved and start thinking of those things or tell them no , I'm not going to . But I'm glad I didn't allow myself or my ego to get involved , because it has been a trying year as a first-time coach , but it's been very fruitful to have these one-on-one conversations with these young men to push , motivate and inspire , to help change the culture of the locker room , the school .

Speaker 2 9:32

So , sad to say this , a lot of times you feel like you're not where you need to be . A lot of times you feel like you should be somewhere higher or you should be further down the road , down the road more than where you're at now . And I'll tell you this if you've already put it out there , you've already asked God hey , this is what I want . If you've already put it out there , you've already asked God hey , this is what I want and you work towards it . If it's for you , it's for you . If it's not , he'll open up another door and put you in a place where he needs you to be . So , first thing of God , working in detail is just orchestrating the behind the deal movements to get me to where he wants me . I wanted to go there , I wanted to be a coach , but if that's not where he wanted me to be , these things don't happen . I'm not sure how many people they interviewed , but I know it was at least five . Could have been more .

Speaker 2 10:35

At least five people that they tried to interview to get to take this job and they all turned it down or they accepted a job somewhere else , which is crazy to me , which just lets me know . A guy was in the details . So I had the seventh grade B basketball team . That was the team I coached and , again , god being in the details , we had a tournament last weekend and a young man was , uh , on the bus and he was singing praise and worship songs at the top of his lungs where it was like people were like be quiet , hey , like just like be quiet , be quiet , be quiet , the , and I thought it was pretty cool . I was like , oh , that's , I , that's , I mean , sing it , young man .

Speaker 2 11:15

The first two games he did not have good games , but we didn't play teams that were good , so we didn't really need him to have a good game . We were averaging like 71 points a game . The last game , the young man that was worshiping God and singing to the top of his lungs without fear of being made fun or laughed at . So things all have to be set up in order for things to work , and the way God works is sometimes you don't understand why things are being set up , but they're being set up for a reason . We have not lost a game all season long , and the team that we're playing in the championship game in the tournament we beat by like 13 or 14 the first time we played . So there was this , I guess , assumption that they were just going to lay down and we were just going to do what we do , and we kind of did . In the beginning we was up by 12 . I don't know what happened in the second quarter . We only scored five points . I think one of the issues they had was , whenever the opposing team scored , their parents would be so loud like they had just won the game and I think it rattled the young men . So I'm calling timeouts , I'm trying to get them motivated , inspired , hyped up , so nothing's working . They're dejected . You can tell at halftime they're like , hey , I'm like hey , let's get out of it , continue fighting . Third quarter , going back and forth the young man that was singing praise and worship . When games get tight , you go to your six people that you know are going to put in the work , and so my bench had gotten a lot smaller and I wasn't playing the players that I would usually play around the time or , I guess , the minutes that they would usually get . So we're playing , we're scrapping , we're fighting . It's the fourth quarter . We are down six , with about four minutes and 30 seconds to go . Again , we are playing the worst game of our lives . We're not getting rebounds , we're holding on to the ball too long , we're letting them just drive by us and score . And so in my head I'm like dude , I don't understand how this is happening , because the way we practice , I don't think no one practices as hard as we do . I don't think anyone pushes these young men as hard as we do . The coaching staff had limits and so call a timeout , tell them to breathe and just relax . We go back in . One of my players get a foul . It's five fouls , so he has to come out . So he's coming out , and I'm looking down the bench fouls , so he has to come out . So he's coming out , and I'm looking down the bench and everyone , everybody is sitting , uh , with their back on the bench , except for this young man he's . He is um , sitting up , engaged looking at the game . And so I look down the bench and he's the only one I see . So I call his name , I say , hey , let's go . Let's go , dude , team needs you . He goes in First play , passing the ball , he hits the three and from that moment on , the momentum shifted back to us .

Speaker 2 14:23

They go down there , they shoot , they miss . Young man grabs the rebound , passes it to the point guard , goes down there , hits the ball , makes it a two-pointer . And so at this point now we're just like everyone's losing it , we're alive . We're like , oh , this is this , we're here . Now we go down there . They go down there , get a steal , pass it to the young man . Again , he goes up , gets fouled , makes his two free throws , then we're up one . They call the timeout .

Speaker 2 14:55

That young man we scored 15 points in the fourth quarter the young man who was praising God on the way to the basketball game with no fear , just pure praise . Out of the 15 points we scored , he scored 13 of them Flipped the game . Uh , we need to win that game by nine points . Uh , because he went in there and this is just my biases , because I I believe god and know that he's just amazing . So he went in there , completely flipped the whole entire game with his presence , because in the beginning he allowed God's presence to be a part of him . When he got into that game , his presence through God changed that whole entire game . When I sat there on the bus , I was like man , I won .

Speaker 2 15:46

God , you're amazing because you are in the details , like when we don't see how things are going to go down . We can't see past it . We have our goals , we have the things we want to do , but there has to be a level of flexibility because it might not be what God is looking for at this moment and we can't get upset , mad or angry . We have to go with that flow of okay , god , I'm believing and trusting in you , to go with that flow of okay , god , I'm believing and trusting in you . And in these two instances , god is just showing me that he's in the details , that if you show up , that , if you give him praise , that if you say what you want you believe , but then you give it to him , it's out of your hands and into your hands , how would things work out ?

Speaker 2 16:31

We live in a world where people want to hold on to what they think is special because of how society views it . They hold on to these titles , the jobs , the money , the images , the ideal of what is viewed as someone who is making it , versus the details of changing lives , of inspiring this young generation to be more and do more , of pushing forward and holding people accountable for actions and holding yourself accountable for actions . That's what like true living is . It's not in the things , although the things are nice . It's not in the women , the car , the title , because at some point you will die . It's saying we have all been given an opportunity every single day to leave a mark , to leave an impression , to do something that is kind to someone who might be going through it . Every single day , we have that opportunity to show up for ourselves and others , taking the time to appreciate what God is doing and trying to do and going to do and not being so caught up in the in the world , to get famous , to get money , to get power , but to slow down and see the lives that you're changing because you're there . God is in the details , even when you don't think he's around . He's pulling things four months from now and creating the things that you need in order to , when you get to where you're supposed to be , you'll just fall into it . So , from people not thinking or not believing in my coaching skills 8th grade A football team won Medesa .

Speaker 2 18:27

Medesa is the best team in Midland and Odessa . Eighth grade B we had some issues . We moved our quarterback up , so they didn't really do good this season , but they won a few games . Seventh grade A lost one game . Seventh grade B lost one game . We tied a few . We tied a few , we won a few . And in basketball , seventh grade B won the Modesto Tournament .

Speaker 2 18:52

First year people didn't think I was or could . That's why they wouldn't hire other people or try to hire other people . So I don't say that to be like boastful , I say it to be like thank you , god , for seeing me when the human versions of other people couldn't see what you saw . And because you've seen me , you have given me a bigger platform to speak life into these young men , to push them to be great , to hold them accountable for their actions . And if that's not anything but me , this podcast , what I've been doing for the past 10 years , with the growth within myself , the going to the detention centers , the talking to the young men , the trying to make us better , it all came , it all culminated to this year , first year , coaching and teaching .

Speaker 2 19:48

So don't give up . If you feel like you're not where you need to be or want to be , don't throw in that towel , keep grinding , keep pushing , because God is in the detail and sometimes , most of that time , the detail doesn't involve you until it's time for that detail to be shown . So if anyone hasn't told you today they love you , let me be the first to say I love you . You're awesome . You're amazing . You deserve the best this world has to offer . Do not give up , do not quit . The world does not get easier , but you get stronger . You have a blessed weekend .

Speaker 1 20:22

Bye , bye thank you for listening . Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode . Weekend bye-bye . Thank you for listening . Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and for daily motivational and up-to-date content . Follow us on Facebook and Instagram . At excellence above talent . And remember keep moving forward , never give up and you are never alone in this battle . We'll see you next time .