The Same Team

The other day I was waiting outside a room waiting for our preschool age son to finish a class he was attending, when I heard the leader say, "there are no teams here, we are all on the same team." I love that idea, "all on the same team."

When I look at my child as being part of a team, there are many things that come to mind. First would be finding the right coach(es). As my child goes through his development, I want to be sure that the right people are pouring into him...that righteous people are "coaching" him. We watch very carefully when we register our kiddos for extra activities. We find that it is very difficult for our children to understand why other adults make choices that are inappropriate, or at least inappropriate in our family. We try to limit the contradictions when they are young, as it becomes too confusing for our little ones to know what is the best choice. As they grow, we simply begin talking about God's best plan and making choices that glorify Him.

Another important part of the team are the players. If my sons life is like playing on a team, then we should try to find friends or teammates that are going to be a good fit together. Let us look for playmates that are going to build up each other and show characteristics we desire to emphasize. I certainly don't want to exclude people from the team, so we will truly give everyone a chance... however, as a parent, it is important for me to be ready to make a team substitution. If I see that we have a friend that is being negative or leading our children astray, it is important for us to talk to our children about it and make a substitution. It won't be easy, but it is important that our children learn to look at the character of their friends. This is a lesson that can truly help them as they get older and become adults.

As our children play their way through this "game" of life, I want to help to make sure they play with integrity. No matter what the situation might be, our children still need to be honest, helpful, compassionate, respectful and kind. These are traits that need to be learned, talked about and demonstrated. Children are not born knowing how to act in these ways, this will take time and practice.

Although our family loves team sports and several of our children compete in various sports, there is only one "game" I am concerned about ....salvation. As our children run the race to gain their Heavenly prize, one of my goals is to give them the most supportive team I can. A team with great coaches, encouraging teammates and lots of practice playing with integrity.

May God truly bless you as you build a team to support your children, and give you the courage to call a "time out" when it looks like the game is getting away from you!