1 Thessalonians 2:7 says, “We proved to be gentle among you. As a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children…” and then later in verses 11-12, “just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.”
The point here is not about stereotypes of mothers nurturing and fathers challenging. The point is balance.
Good coaching is focused but not narrow.
Jesus said to teach them to obey everything He commanded (Matt. 28:20). “Narrow” is limited to a few aspects while “focus” is about dealing with the next step on the long, winding journey to “everything.”
Think of a good coach not as a chef with a specialty but as a nutritionist planning well-balanced meals for every stage of growth – milk to the infants and solid food for the mature (“I gave you milk to drink, not solid food” 1 Cor.3:2).
Blessings,
Harry Brown