It’s that time of year again when we start hearing rumors of football coaches being on the hot seat…and others being fired.

Interestingly, fans are always so excited when they get a new coach, but then a few years later they are eager to get rid of him.

In college football, we’ve already seen Florida and Tennessee move on from coaches they hired a few years ago, and short-tenured NFL head coaches (Tampa and New York) could be on their way out too.

This becomes troubling when the administration, owners, and fan bases pull the trigger so quickly. Yesterday Coach K talked about his early struggles at Duke, and how he was glad they gave him enough time to get it right.

A core issue in today’s sports landscape is when seeking instant gratification drives the decision making. Coaches aren’t being given enough time to build a solid foundation that allows their program to be sustainable for many years.

Instead, coaches are expected to win right away. As soon as they face any adversity or lose a few games, the schools and franchises quickly move on from them.

But teams could benefit more if they thought about the future like the Houston Astros. These World Series Champs built a solid franchise by sacrificing instant gratification for achieving sustainable winning.

Today, as decision makers discuss the future of their teams and who they want as their head coach, they will either choose instant gratification or a sustainable path built with patience and perseverance.

We, too, make daily decisions based on instant gratification or grounded in a desire to remain on the path God’s called us. When faced with the temptation to give up too quickly or to buy the lie that a quick fix will solve all of our problems, we must steadily pursue God’s best for our lives.

As followers of Jesus, we can be confident about building our lives on a solid foundation in Him, and sticking to His plan that leads to abundant and eternal life.

It requires a sacrifice of instant gratification or temporary pleasure, but our wise and patient choices allow us to build a life the right way, and pursue a path that is sustainable and fruitful.

Jesus explains in Matthew 7:24-27 (ESV), “Everyone then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

“And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Today, as we think about teams building their programs on the “sand” (instant gratification) or the “rock” (a patient plan with a solid foundation), we can be encouraged to build our lives Jesus’ way.

When we abide in His Truth, we’ll be rooted in His strength…and have sustainability when difficulties come our way. I’m Bryce Johnson and you can unpack that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I pray You’d show me the areas of my life that are being built on sand. I pray my life would reflect the firm foundation I stand on because of Jesus. Please help me understand His words and follow them. In His name I pray, Amen.