Teamwork

As I grew up and started to play softball at a higher level, the majority of the game became mental. Coaches became much more critical of the mental side of the game than the physical side. Most of us knew the basics pretty well. We knew how to throw, catch, swing, run, etc. We made mistakes on those things less often. Coaches let those mistakes go a lot more easily than if we made a mistake because we weren’t paying attention or didn’t know what to do. The mental game became the most important part of softball. I not only had to worry about what I would do if the ball was hit to me, but I had to know exactly what to do if the ball was hit to anyone else on the field. I was also heavily encouraged to cheer on my teammates and tell them where to go if the ball was hit to them. 

It would go something like this:

The ball is hit to me at shortstop and everyone on the field starts yelling: GO ONE! GO ONE! GO ONE! (first base…softball lingo) If I get the ball and make the out at first, the whole team cheers and high fives me. If I miss the ball, we work together to get the next play, and everyone would tell me to shake it off. 

I think the church should operate sort of like this. We are all on the same team, working toward a common goal: to share the love that Jesus offers with the world. We should be rooting for each other, and every time a brother or sister in Christ gets the opportunity to do something for God’s kingdom, we should erupt into celebration and offer thanks to God. We should be excited to fan their flame for Jesus. When a brother or sister messes up, we should work together to be the accountability that they need. The Church is not an opportunity for competition. We need to embrace togetherness, unity.

Jesus himself was a big fan of unity. Philippians 2:1-2 says, “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.”

We, as people of God, have the opportunity to operate in oneness. The way we create this mindset is by aligning our goals. Our focus has to be Jesus. When that is the case, we will cheer on our brothers and sisters in Christ by encouraging them, and fanning their flame. This means setting aside our preferences, denominations, opinions, criticisms, and fleshly desires.

Mental errors are made when athletes get sidetracked or think too much about themselves and not their team. As members of the body of Christ, it is going to take our individual intentionality to stay more focused on the team than on ourselves. 

Hebrews 10:24-25 puts it beautifully. “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Encouragement is important to Jesus, so it should be important to us too.

Let’s work together to be intentional in loving people well, working as the team we were created to be, embracing the unity that Jesus intended for us.