What makes a great team? When we come together as family, in a platoon or in any organization, what ingredients makes a team great? The scripture reveals to us a few ingredients of a great team, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administrating God’s grace in its various forms”—1 Peter 4: 8-10, NIV.
The first ingredient of a great team is love. Marriages have problems when partners don’t show love to one another. You can’t raise kids properly without showing them love. You can’t experience relationships in community or in your unit without showing and receiving love. Someone asked legendary football coach Vince Lombardi what it took to make a winning team. Lombardi said, “There are a lot of coaches who know the fundamentals and have plenty of discipline but still don’t win games. Then you come to the third ingredient: if you’re going to play together as a team, you’ve got to care for one another. You’ve got to love each other. The difference between mediocrity and greatness is the feeling these guys have for each other.” Great teams have love for each other.
Another ingredient of a great team is hospitality. Now, living in the South, hospitality is understood as hosting friends and family with parties, dinner and the like. Yet, Scripture encourages us, the host to show hospitality without grumbling. So, what does this mean for us? It might mean inviting a visitor at chapel home to have lunch with you or inviting a co-worker out for coffee to get to know them better. Or, it might mean feeding the homeless at Savannah Union Mission. The point is when we extend hospitality we get to know one another. Great teams are hospitable.
The last ingredient of a great team is service. I have discovered a great difference in serving the area of my giftedness and serving outside of my gifts that occasionally I have to do. Serving in your area of giftedness feels like being in the zone in sports. When I am there, I have found my sweet spot, and using such gifts is sweet. I have also served others outside of my gifts, and then I am working on my sour spot, and using such gifts is sour. Scripture reminds us that service is about focusing on the need of the team to use our talents to serve others. It is important to adapt our skills to fit the gaps that the family or unit needs filled. So when we serve, serve in our giftedness for the benefit of the team. Being a great team in a family or a unit is when family or team members show love, are hospitable and serve the team. Go and be a great team!
Written and submitted for the Frontline newspaper.
