Philippians 4:12 “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
John Wooden was a basketball coach for the UCLA Bruins for twelve years. In those twelve years, he took the Bruins to ten NCAA national championships; seven were in consecutive years. He was a great coach and also a great example to his players. He passed many life lessons and values onto his players. He not only turned each player into a great team member, but his main goal was to make each player a great man. Coach Wooden had a way of putting these life lessons into simple phrases. He redefined Webster’s definition of success. Webster describes success as “the fact of getting or achieving wealth, fame or respect.” John Wooden described success as “a peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.” With his definition of success, he felt that whether his team won or lost, their attitude should be the same. No matter the outcome, they did their best and though the results might not have been what they desired, they were still successful in doing their best.
We sometimes don’t like the way things turn out in our life. We might feel we have done the best we could in every way. We feel we did the best we could at our jobs and then find ourselves let go just because of the world economy. We might feel like we were unselfish to a fault in our marriage and find a spouse who walks out on us for someone else. When I lost my daughter, I wondered what I had done wrong in my life to have this happen. There are things that happen to us that have nothing to do with how we performed; bad things happen. This takes me to one of my favorite quotes of John Wooden. He says it so simply but with so much truth. He states, “Things work out the best for those who make the best of how things work out.”
This is exactly what Paul said to us in Philippians 4:12. Paul learned from the greatest coach of all. He learned how to be content no matter what environment he found himself in. Paul focused on the eternal. He looked at things from the perspective of what his Coach had taught him. He drew on the power of his Coach and was thankful for what he was given. This Coach was not only making them good men; His goal was to make fishers of men.
– Michele
