Last weekend I lost years off my life as I watched our local high school football team hold on to win a very competitive game 16-13. We scored with a little over a minute to take the lead. Our opponent would have to go 80 yards to score a touchdown to win or probably 60 to kick a game-tying field goal. I was nervous, but hopeful. And then a few plays later, it happened. Emotions got the best of one of our players and he was called for roughing the passer; this resulted in a huge penalty that resulted in moving them closer to their end zone.
You could feel the air leave the lungs of every one of our fans. We went from confident to anxious in a split second. But nothing we felt as fans could compare to the way that player felt. His body language said it all; he had left his team down. He was angry at himself. In that moment of his young life, this mistake on a football field felt monumental.
How often do we feel the same? We make a mistake; maybe our emotions got the best of us, and we said something we normally wouldn’t have uttered. Maybe we were in a hurry and overlooked an important detail at work. Maybe we were overwhelmed with to do lists and obligations and overreacted with impatience and frustration. If you are anything like me, in those moments I am hardest on myself. The grace I show others is somehow missing from the grace I extend to myself.
In these moments, in those seasons, the people with whom we surround ourselves can either lift us up or hold us down. Either love us or condemn us.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 gives us clear direction on how we are to interact with one another: “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” The Greek for encourage – παρακαλεῖτε (parakaleite) – means “to call near, invite.” When we face low moments, disappointments, challenges – do we have a community that will call us near? People who will come beside us and battle with us? People who will speak confidence into our broken spirits.
God could have accomplished salvation with just Jesus. I find it interesting that He chose to use community. Jesus called 12 men to be his encouragers. His warriors. His team. And while some would disappoint Him and one betray Him, He walked His earthy journey surrounded by brothers who loved Him and were united in His mission. And that community grew and expanded to include men and women who would carry the gospel to the corners of the world. A community who would encourage one another; carry one another’s burdens; never losing sight of the mission.
At that football game, I sat on the edge of my seat as the clock ticked down and our team held them on 1stand goal. 2nd and goal. 3rd and goal. And batted a pass away on 4th down to claim victory. A team effort. A team that rallied in support of a brother. A team that picked up the burden of one. No, football is not salvation. But it is a beautiful analogy for the power of community. For the importance of surrounding yourself with people who believe in you, sometimes more than you believe in yourself.
Who are the people in your life that stand on the goal line for you? Who, no matter what, speak truth and are firmly rooted in your corner? And just as important, are you that person when others are lost or troubled? Do you encourage or condemn? Do you stand beside or talk behind?
God has called us to not only live in community but to love in community. And that doesn’t just mean our close circle. It means anyone that we see, or sense is hurting. Whether it be family or the person in front of you at the grocery store. We must follow the greatest example every set – Jesus. God gave His only Son to come alongside of us in our sin, sacrificing His very life that we might live forever in community with God.
It’s fourth and goal. Find your people.
Very well said. ❤️
Great post. I wish this type of thinking transferred into the workplace. I’m sure that somewhere it does, just none of the places I’ve worked. 🏈