You Just Never Know
August/September 2008

As an assistant football coach at the University of Colorado, I had the privilege of coaching many great players. Guys like Kordell Stewart, Michael Westbrook, Dave Logan and Don Hasselbeck. Not only was it fun to push those guys to new levels physically and see them grow as athletes, but also to build relationships and invest in them personally. Winning football games was great, but the relationships made along the way have far outlasted the win/loss record.

So, for me, this month’s cover story on Don Hasselbeck’s son Matt certainly has significant personal meaning. To see where the Lord has brought him is pretty amazing. And looking back through my own history with the Hasselbecks, I realize that God had a great plan for them from the beginning. And I was blessed to be just a tiny part of the plot.

I smile when I think about Don Hasselbeck. How I recruited him in high school, coached him in college and the NFL and constantly shared my faith with him. Certainly, he knew about Christ at that point; he just hadn’t surrendered his life. Then one day, after he had left the University of Colorado and was playing in the NFL, Don attended a Pro Athletes Outreach event and heard an Oakland Raiders defensive player open his heart, spill his guts and share his faith. At that point, Don said, “Maybe there’s hope for me. If this guy has done all that, and Jesus has accepted him, maybe He will accept me.” A few days later, he picked up the phone and called me to tell me that all those years I’d harassed him about coming to know the Lord had finally come to fruition. He had accepted Christ.

“We should never get discouraged when sharing our faith with the people we care about. We plant the seeds, but the Spirit of God touches their hearts.”

In life, we should never get discouraged when sharing our faith with the people we care about. We plant the seeds, but the Spirit of God touches their hearts. You should never feel like you’ve failed when your best friend or your closest family member does not accept Christ. It’s God who facilitates the perfect timing, and His Holy Spirit is the One who touches their lives. Yes, God uses us to share Christ with others, but we sometimes are not the ones who are called to lead them to decisions.

That certainly was the case for me in Don Hasselbeck’s life. I did my best to be obedient to the Lord and show him a faith-filled life, but that was all I was called to do. When he left Colorado, I had to trust that God would continue working on him. And, boy did He. I can’t thank the Lord enough for leading Donnie to that PAO event and for opening his heart that day.

Think about the people in your own life—the ones you’ve been working on for what seems like forever. Have you given up on them? If so, I beg you to change your mind. Our God is bigger than we could ever imagine, and we have no way of seeing what He might have in store for our loved ones down the road. Paul gave us instructions in Galatians 6:9 (NIV), saying, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Our instruction in that passage is to “not give up” on “doing good.” Whether or not we see any fruit from it, we must continue to love others with the love of Jesus Christ using both actions and words. And we certainly must continue praying for them. If you’re tired of praying for someone, read Luke 11:5-8.

Bottom line: You never know what the Lord has planned for the unbelievers in your life. But if you keep your faith, trust Him completely and remain faithful to doing your part, you can bet that His plan is far better than anything you could have imagined. Just ask Don Hasselbeck, who can look at his family now and marvel at the Lord’s greatness.

You just never know.

Model the Master,

Les Steckel
FCA President/CEO