Coach Choate And A Great Day

(Drew Choate and me)

I've always looked up to Drew Choate.  Just a great guy!  For years he and his wife were missionaries to Africa.  Now he is the pastor of Harmony Church here in Sumter.  I was around him mostly in the 80's when he was a football coach and teacher at Thomas Sumter Academy.  He made our school a better place, and he was greatly respected.  Actually, he still teaches Bible there at Thomas Sumter.

Since I played football, I got to spend a lot of days out there on the field learning from Coach Choate.  One of the things I remember most about him was his attitude.  Without fail, he would say something every day to us when we were practicing.  Coach would walk out there with a whistle around his neck and he would yell out, "Boys it's a great day for football!" 

It didn't matter if it was sunny or rainy. 
It didn't matter if it was boiling hot or freezing cold. 
It didn't matter if we won or lost the previous game. 
We always heard those words. 
"Its a great day!"

Coach Choate's good attitude makes me think of this verse in the Bible:  "This is the day that the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it."  That is Psalm 118:24.  The writer is saying that every day is a gift from God, and we can enjoy it. 

We woke up and get to live another day.  Let's rejoice!
We have an awesome God who sticks with us.  Let's rejoice!
We get to enjoy the beauty of His creation.  Let's rejoice!
We are loved by Him like children are loved by their father.  Let's rejoice!
We have all our deepest needs met by Him.  Let's rejoice!
We can find peace in Him when times get tough.  Let's rejoice!
We can get direction from Him when making decisions.  Let's rejoice!
We can be empowered by Him to face the day.  Let's rejoice!

There is so much we can feel good about as children of God.  And because of that, we can approach our days with optimism, positivity, and joy.  Every day is a gift from God.  And every day is another opportunity to walk with God.  So we really can rejoice!

I remind myself and my family of this quite often.  There is a lot we can feel good about.  And the same goes for you.

So, thanks, Coach Choate!
And more importantly, thank you, Lord!
We can choose joy today.  And we can opt for sunshine in our souls.  Why?  Because "This is the day that the Lord has made!"