Team Family

I spent a lot of life in athletics. I played little league baseball, basketball, wrestled, high school and college football. You name it I was part of it. Some of these sports I was better at than others but never the less I played them all.

Team Family

However recently I have given a lot of thought as to why I played these games. I mean football is the one that I played the most and it has left me with a scar on my shoulder and a knee that gets sore from time to time and the truth be known has contributed to me being overweight.

I spent a lot of life in athletics. I played little league baseball, basketball, wrestled, high school and college football. You name it I was part of it. Some of these sports I was better at than others but never the less I played them all. However recently I have given a lot of thought as to why I played these games. I mean football is the one that I played the most and it has left me with a scar on my shoulder and a knee that gets sore from time to time and the truth be known has contributed to me being overweight.

When people ask me if I would do it all over again I without hesitation say yes…yes I would. Recently someone asked me that question and I gave my answer with out hesitation but then for some reason the question got me to thinking…why would I do it all over again?

I didn’t enjoy the running, the long hours of practice and I certainly did not enjoy the pain of injury or the pain of defeat. I enjoyed the feeling of victory! I enjoyed hearing the crowds cheer for me as I struggled and if I am honest I also enjoyed the off the field benefits of being “on the team”. However as I continued to think all of that was fleeting.

Was it the Glory of being the best at the game that I was chasing? The answer is simple…No!

No matter how many games I won there was always another game. No matter how many people patted me on the back I knew that those would only come as long as I produced and that one day all would be simply a memory.

I even quit once in college football. (Tell the story)

Why did I come back…because of the relationships I had with the team. They were my brothers…I did not want to let them down.

We live in a society where we strive to be individuals but need other people.

That is why I played the game. Not because of the fans or the game itself. It is not that I didn’t love and learn a great amount from playing the game...I stuck it out was because I felt part of something. I knew the guys beside me would do every thing they could to support me and I wold do the same.

That is why a lot of people play sports; join gangs, and even civic organizations. People need to be a part of a group the cares about them. These things are great but are they enough?

Will a teammate really be there for you after the game is over? Some will…but the fact is when you are done with the game, you usually move on to the rest of your life.

Sure you might call each other once in a while, you might even do a few reunions together but will you will never experience the closeness of people who will care for your wellbeing.

I know there are exceptions to every rule…but for the most part when you leave high school, college, sports, or even a job the close relationships you had do not seem to be as binding as they used to.

And before you know it you begin to feel alone.

(NIV)

7 Again I saw something meaningless under the sun: 8 There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless— a miserable business!

I want to focus today on verse 8 where he said he had no son or brother. The person who has no family but has everything is never happy with what he has. Nor can he withstand the storms of life. He asked himself if I have no family, no one to share my wealth with then why am I killing myself to gain things that I really cant enjoy?

This is a good question for all of us.

God created us for each other and I believe that is why we strive so hard to be a part of something called family.

We search for it in sports so much that we turn coaches in to Gods and we allow them to say and do things to our children that we would never allow a stranger of the street to do.

We allow our kids to miss church and even other family events in the hopes they can be part of a team…so they can be somebody but the truth is this only matters in the short term.

So if all of this is temporary or meaningless then where are we supposed to find a sense of family?

Crickett And I have not been close to family sense we got married...

The answer is not to isolate ourselves or cut ourselves off from these things but..to look for a connection with people that share our spiritual values…That is why it is so important to be a part of a Local Church.

9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:

10 If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls  and has no one to help them up. 11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

When we search for community or family in secular groups instead of the sacred community we will always be searching for more.

Invest in people who really love you.

(NLT)

13 It is better to be a poor but wise youth than an old and foolish king who refuses all advice. 14 Such a youth could rise from poverty and succeed. He might even become king, though he has been in prison. 15 But then everyone rushes to the side of yet another youth[a] who replaces him. 16 Endless crowds stand around him, but then another generation grows up and rejects him, too. So it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.

When the crowds stopped cheering. My Mom Dad, and family still called me. When the crowds stopped cheering and I graduated from being the big man on campus my Church still thought I was great. Yet… I spent much of my youth running from both.

Now I am fighting to invest in those who really care for me. If we invest positively in our family you can have a team that really will have your back forever.

If you invest in your Church family positively you will have people who will in turn invest in you.

Evaluate your investments:

Where is your life invested? Sports, leasier work.

How is it paying off? Is it providing peace or turmoil

Adjust your payout

Reallocate time for the eternal

Reallocate resources for the eternal

Rediscover the Good life

Worship your God

Enjoy your Family

Reduce your liability

Don’t stress out over people

Don’t stress over control

Invite people to the Table as a way of investing in one another…by sharing this sacrament together.

Band Here

Worship God

Enjoy your family

Be content in your work

This will bring meaning beyond your expectations

Prayer