Get In The Game!

I heard a coach the other day talking to his new team. No, it wasn’t the European Soccer League. It was a great young father, coaching a group of eleven year olds. You could tell by looking at them that some were all there and some were not.
There was the little girl, standing shuffling her feet with head down and mom and dad twenty feet away encouraging her to “step up.” The over zealous wired boy with long brown hair, trying to tell the coach how it should be done. In between were a diverse group of nondescript kids who were there for one of two reasons. One group was there to play the game. They showed excitement and enthusiasm all rolled up in one. Just waiting for the preliminaries to be over so they could get out there and “DO IT!!!” Then there was the second group. You could tell they were almost listening to everything they were told. Nodding their heads yes to yes questions and nodding no to no questions and looking at each other to make sure they were nodding in the right directions. They too were waiting to get out there and “Do it!” They wanted to play the game but to have fun at it. When the whistle blew, each one of those children did what was predictable according to their own personal commitment to the game.
The parents sat, stood, cheered, or just talked and watched. We will call them the almost coach. They were just like their children, or almost. Some parents had more to offer to the game then the kids. To them it was more then a game. It was win at any cost. Because I am a people person, I watched the kids for two or three minutes and spent the rest of the time watching the parents.
It doesn’t take much to see who is here for the game and who is here for the kids. But then again, it doesn’t take much to look at the people in the pew and know where they are in their Christian life, either as a participant or a parent. A long time ago a man once talked about the visible church and the invisible church. One is there to be part of what’s happening. You see their heart is involved with what’s happening and what’s going down. It’s their church and they have lots of enthusiasm. Then there is the invisible church. These are the people who reside within the visible church. But they have more, They are there for Jesus. One belongs to an organization and the other belongs to the Lord. One you see, one you don’t. Or do you?
In a day and an age where the visible church that we see all around us is suffering, I wonder how the true Christ’s followers are doing? It comes down to you. Are we part of the game or is the game all about Jesus?
Something to think about.
Rob