As I sat Sunday morning listening to the sermon at church, I must confess that my notetaking wasn’t lending itself to it usual athletic theme… (after doing these devos for 1000 consecutive weeks, my mind typically jumps straight to a sports analogy!) This time it went to a music-theme… which later gave way to the sports thoughts…
The message was about dealing with conflict… looking for a Biblical approach to handling opposing views or expectations. The verse that got the wheel turning in my head was 1 Peter 3:8:
To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit… (NASB)
The job of a coaching staff… or a CEO / management team… is to orchestrate a game plan or business plan. It is to determine the goal… the desired outcome… the mission statement. And it is the job of not only those in charge, but also all the team to play within that game plan.
As a coach, I was always open to having input from my assistant coaches or even my players, and has to evaluate them based upon if I thought those ideas were within the goals of the team, or just born out of a selfish player’s desire for stats…
Let’s break down a few words from the verse…
Harmonious: To be in harmony has the idea of being of one mind… having the same game plan, even if you have different thoughts or roles. When two sides are not in harmony, in conflict, it is usually because one or both is “out of tune” and need adjusted back to the goal. (ie The desire to be right or seek selfish gain becomes more important than the game plan.) When “in tune” one, or both, are going to be willing to adjust… it’s called teamwork… which leads to the next words…
Sympathetic: has the idea of being concerned with the other’s needs… how can you help your teammate fulfill his/her role? When listening attentively to one another we create a beautiful symphony… it’s called teamwork…
Botherly / Kindhearted: the other person matters… it’s called teamwork…
Humble: simply put, it is not about you and your stats! It is about the game plan… the goal… the mission… it’s called teamwork!
If we take the time to truly care about the other’s needs, even when we have differing opinions we can get back to the game plan… and even when we have differing opinions, we will not be offensive…
Conflict does not have to be combative! Always look to the goals and consider the other as more important than self (Philippians 2:3)!
And ultimately remember to let God and His Game Plan (The Word) be the Coach/Conductor… that will bring harmony to the symphony (or harmonious sympathy.)
The Game Plan requires teamwork!
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