Have you ever told your players to, “Practice till you get it right”?  We’ve certainly all heard and perhaps said, “Practice makes perfect.”  An outstanding football coach with whom I once worked had an expression central to his success.  He used it everyday.  It said he loved his players, and was committed to completing their development.  It told his players they had not yet achieved perfection.  The expression said he would not compromise the standard.  It said we will keep working until the standard became the norm.

In Matthew 5:48 God gives us the standard: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect.”  Paul acknowledges we have work yet to do in Phil 3:12, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”  The parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18, tells us persistence will pay off.  And Hebrews 13:5 insures God will stay with us until we are perfect: “I will never leave you or forsake you.”

My coaching friend may not have been grammatically correct in his instruction, but he echoed the heart of God everytime he said to his players, “See it again!”  His persistence let his players know – not only would they practice until they got it right – but together they would, “Practice till they can’t get it wrong.”