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| Teamwork is important to a marching band's excellence, just as it is for a football team, on the gridiron. |
One of the best things
about competitive sports, especially team sports, is observing how principles
that contribute to athletic success also relate to everyday life. Athletes in
sports like golf or tennis are basically on their own, vying for victory
one-on-one. But in most other sports, the team dynamic is an integral part of
what Wide World of Sports used to call “the thrill of victory and the agony of
defeat.”
Taylor Decker, an
All-American offensive tackle at the Ohio State University, emphasized this in
explaining why he chose to return for his senior year and helped the Buckeyes
to another very successful season. He could have left after his junior season
and taken his talents to the National Football League but opted to complete his
last year of collegiate eligibility.
“A huge reason I
came back (was) for that brotherhood, that camaraderie in the locker room,”
Decker said. “That’s what makes it fun. Because workouts aren’t really fun, and
practice isn’t really fun, but doing it with your guys, doing it with people
you love, that’s what makes it fun.”
These key
ingredients for effective teamwork – camaraderie, mutual support, and merging
of complementary skills – are crucial to a winning effort, not only on the
gridiron, basketball court, baseball diamond and soccer field, but also in the
business world, the military, music, even in marriage and parenting.
Living in the age
of the “selfie,” when many people seem preoccupied with themselves, we’re at
risk of devaluing the importance of teamwork. Everyone seems to be screaming,
“Look at me!” Few are saying, “Look at us.” But in reality, living and working
in isolation can limit us in more ways than one.
The Old Testament
book of Ecclesiastes addresses this powerfully. It states, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their
work” (Ecclesiastes 4:9). Watching a football game, we see this
demonstrated as offensive linemen join together to open holes for running backs
and to protect the quarterback. But we also see it every day in our own lives.
My first job in
journalism was serving as editor of a small community newspaper. I was the
entire editorial staff, the proverbial “cook and bottle washer.” I did
everything from covering city government and school board meetings to writing
wedding announcements and obituaries. It was an excellent learning experience,
but I felt relieved several years later when the publisher agreed to let me
hire an assistant to share the load.
As a father, it’s
been my joy and privilege to team with my wife in raising our children and now,
pitching in to help with the grandkids from time to time. That’s one reason I
so admire the resolve of single parents, striving by themselves to do the job
of parenting that’s best done by mom and dad together.
The biblical
passage continues, “If one falls down,
his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help
him up” (Ecclesiastes 4:10). We often see this in action on the football
field, when a player is tackled or knocked down and a teammate extends a hand
to help him back to his feet. But daily life also has a way of knocking us
down, too, and it’s encouraging when a “teammate” – whether at work or in the
home – offers a hand to help us back up.
A final portion
of the Ecclesiastes passage relates to the gridiron, but I’ve experienced it
many times and in many ways during my own life: “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of
three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12). This is one of
the values of business partnerships. The principals not only share in the
financial investment, but also team together to overcome obstacles, combat
adversity, and share their respective talents and gifts in the pursuit of
common goals and objectives.
This principle
holds true spiritually as well. As Hebrews 10:24-25 admonishes us, “And let us consider how we may spur one
another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as
some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another….”
Another new year
is bearing down on us, and some of us will
be setting goals or resolutions to grow spiritually and become more effective
ambassadors for Jesus Christ. We’d be wise to recognize this can’t be done in a
vacuum, that as we see throughout the Scriptures, spiritual growth and service
to the Lord also is a “team sport.”
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