Overly happy” was a term many former players used to describe what they felt about their former coach Andy Reid’s team winning the Super Bowl in 2019. Donovan McNabb said, “So happy for my guy. Well-deserved for the Chiefs. Now, give him the credit he deserves. First Class coach, friend and dad.” Trent Cole said, “He treated us like men, and he treated us like we were people and not just football players. He treated us like human beings and not just some pawn that was there and going to be gone.” Reid’s offensive coordinator said, “He’s just like a big mentor and a father figure.” Demarcus Robinson responded to why current players respect Reid, “He gives us a lot of advice—it goes from coaching to just life lessons.” One thing is clear about the way Andy Reid coaches: his team knows he loves and cares about them.

2 Corinthians 11 – Fatherly Love

How should a coach or any leader go about convincing their team that they really love them? This is the problem Paul faced as he wrote to the Corinthians. If he reminded them of the work he did among them, they might reply, “Paul is bragging!” If he said nothing about his ministry at Corinth, those who opposed him would say, “See, Paul didn’t accomplish anything for you!”

Paul, led by the Spirit of God, compared himself to a “spiritual father” caring for his family. He had used this image before (1 Cor. 4:14-21) to remind the Corinthians that he could discipline them if it was needed. He gives them three evidences of his fatherly love for them in chapter 11.  

First, Paul shows his jealousy over the church (11:1-6, 13-15). A father (or mother) is rightly jealous of their children to protect them from harm. Second, he demonstrated generosity to the church as a loving parent would provide for the needs of the family (11:7-12). Finally, Paul felt anxiety for them as a father for his family (11:16-33). The word translated as “care” means “pressure, stress, anxiety.” The first two examples were external, but this one was internal, as he had a burden for the church.

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete sacrifice their time and effort toward loving and caring for their team as a father would for their family, rather than putting undue burdens on their team.