BREAKING NEWS: Can We Really Trust Coaching? (Not really... and here's why)
So, does this headline surprise you?!
Here’s why we can’t really trust coaching. (I know it will sound “churchy” but I need to say it.) We can really only trust God!
*HOWEVER*
God is trustworthy!
Here’s what Jesus thought about coaching.
John 14: 16-17 says, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.”
Now is that time! The Holy Spirit is available to live within us!
When people are looking for answers and we as leaders give them what we think they should do, we bear the risk of becoming a mediator or “God-man” in their lives. This does not mean there isn’t a place for teaching - of course, there is, but coaches help people walk out what they have learned.
Real coaches don’t tell people what to do, they help them make good decisions by listening to what the Spirit is telling them to do.
When we bear the load of solving people’s problems or figuring out what they should do for them, we bear a weight that is not ours to bear. Galatians 6:4-5 (NCV) says, “Each person should judge his own actions and not compare himself with others. Then he can be proud for what he himself has done. Each person must be responsible for himself.”
Coaching is so freeing! It allows people to exercise their own free will and that reflects God’s offer to us.
Coaching makes disciples not dependants.
It’s risky business though.
What if I ask someone a powerful question and they don’t have a clue?
What if they are nervous about learning to hear God’s voice for themself?
What if some fear or lie is holding them back?
These are all common coaching concerns.
So, here’s the deal - and it’s good for us and for them - we all learn to lean into the Holy Spirit who was promised to us by Jesus.
Transparency alert: I’m not a fan actually.
I want a sure thing. I want a clear plan in writing. I’m willing to do hard things instead of learning to listen and I want to always be right and never have to learn anything through experience.
Oh, but life in Christ isn’t like that.
Instead, it is a journey of learning to walk with Him.
Just like when we learned to physically walk and the people in our world were proud of our accomplishments, when we learn to walk spiritually we will likely falter and even fall, we will probably have wobbly legs, but we WILL LEARN if we keep leaning in and don’t give up!
Coaches - can you be patient and kind like love compels us to in 1 Corinthians?
Is the Holy Spirit worth your trust? Or do you need to step in and hurry things along?
Father, I pray you will help us all in this season. Help us to trust You in our own lives and there. Help us learn to journey with you as our guide. We need you now more than ever and if a deeper dependence on you comes out of this crazy season, we welcome Your work in our lives!