Hang around a coach long enough and you’ll find out what drives him crazy, what he hates in his players.
Coaches hate individualism. A player who consistently puts himself above the team, who believes the rules don’t apply to him, who will not humbly receive coaching…this is the sort of thing a coach despises.
Coaches hate behavior detrimental to the team. Players whose choices off the field bring shame, distraction, and criticism to the team…needless to say, coaches would rather not deal with this.
Coaches hate negative talk. A team full of guys who are critical of the coaches and each other will struggle to pull together when it matters.
Just hang around and it won’t take long to understand what coaches hate.
Proverbs 8:13–“…Pride and arrogance and the evil way, and the perverted mouth, I hate.”
This author of this proverbs writes as if he is “wisdom” speaking, telling its listeners about itself. We are invited in earlier verses to hang around wisdom, to learn, to soak in, to put into practice its teachings. If you hang around wisdom long enough, you’ll learn what it hates.
Godly wisdom hates individualism. Someone who consistently elevates himself or herself as the center of his or her own universe, who believes he or she can make up the rules, who will not humbly receive the teaching and correction of God…this person and godly wisdom cannot coexist.
Godly wisdom hates behavior detrimental to the name of God. Unrepentant sin, obstinacy, and hypocrisy fly in the face of godly wisdom.
Godly wisdom hates unfiltered talk. The person who simply speaks his or her mind with no regard to how it lands with others, who routinely complains and criticizes, and who expects everyone else to simply deal with it, isn’t operating according to godly wisdom.
Godly wisdom hates these things because God himself hates these things. His wisdom is an extension of his character. Just hang around him long enough and you’ll discover what he and his wisdom despise.
The bad news is that God hates our individualism, our detrimental behavior, our unfiltered talk. The good news is that God doesn’t hate us because of those things. If you see those things in your life, even completely ingrained in your life, won’t you today simply receive the grace of God to set you free from those things? Won’t you today ask him to impart his character and wisdom to you? Let him replace individualism with dependence on him, detrimental behavior with obedience to his Spirit, and unfiltered talk with words of love and life.
Lord Jesus, replace my individualism, detrimental behavior, and unfiltered talk with what results from godly wisdom. Mold me into your image and character. Thank you for your grace when I’m not operating with godly wisdom
