Wisdom Wednesday: Teamwork

Have you ever been a part of a winning team or even a championship team? Or have you ever been on a losing team or one that constantly struggled to succeed?  What makes the difference?  Sheer talent or great leadership?  My oldest son sent me the link to the video below. Even though its target audience is League of Legends online gamers, it contains some excellent principles, including financial, for any kind of team or family. It reminded me of when Jesus said, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.” (Matthew 12:25)

“TEAM = Together Everyone Achieves More” —Unknown

“Many ants together can carry a beetle.” —Spanish proverb

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” —Aristotle

Teams and families are made up of people with varying talents and strengths. Successful teams recognize and utilize those strengths and talents. Unsuccessful or struggling teams have members with poor attitudes who want to be the center of attention or are looking out for ‘number one’. 1 Corinthians 12 contains the principle of teamwork, using the analogy of our body, and how we all work together with each having a different part. Verse 21 says, “And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.” Even members who seem less significant play an integral role.  Communication, having a plan, and working together as a whole are key to a team’s success.

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” —Michael Jordan, pro basketball player

Part of being a member of a team is actually participating and not spending most of the time warming the bench, or pew, or couch. We can either help our team move forward, cause our team to move backward, or remain stagnant by our passivity.

“Wearing the same shirts doesn’t make you a team.” —Buchholz and Roth, guitarists

If a team is to reach its potential, each player must be willing to subordinate his personal goals to the good of the team.” — Bud Wilkinson, football coach

Coaches, bosses, church leaders, and heads of households are just as much a part of the team and generally hold the greater responsibility for its success. Although this post is not about leadership, every group of people when brought together for a common purpose looks to someone to lead, so it’s important to choose a good leader, if possible, who is also willing to subordinate his/her personal goals for the good of the team or family and doesn’t forget that it’s not all about him/her.  It’s about each other, the common goal, and the bigger picture.

“Effective leaders are engaged in the lives of the people they are leading and are constantly seeking to understand how they can create an environment in which people succeed.” –Nathan Mellor, president of Strata Leadership, LLC

“Help others get ahead. You will always stand taller with someone else on your shoulders.” –Bob Moawad

“It is amazing how much you can accomplish when it doesn’t matter who gets the credit.” —Harry S. Truman, 33rd U.S. president

“The whole is the sum of the parts, so be a good part.” –Nate McConnell

If you liked this, you might also like:  I Got Your Back!

Wisdom Wednesday: Just Kidding!

Photo credit: Vivek Chugh – http://www.sxc.hu/photo/953211

Have you ever said something to someone then said, “I’m just joking,” but you knew there was really some truth in what you’d said? Or do you know someone who pokes fun at people under the guise of joking when they really do mean what they say?

“Said in sport, meant in earnest.” —German proverb

Dick Clark, an American radio and television host said, “Humor is always based on a modicum of truth. Have you ever heard a joke about a father-in-law?”

“Out of a joke comes a truth.” —Japanese proverb

I love when people tease me as long as it’s kind and funny and not meant to belittle or hurt. Most jokes are funny because they have a certain amount of truth in them, but jokes cease to be funny when said to get a laugh at the expense of another or to shame and manipulate.

A young friend who loves to joke around chose Proverbs 26:18, 19 as a life verse to remind himself to be kind. It says that someone who lies to a friend and then says, “I was only joking,” is like a mad man shooting a lethal weapon.

A German proverb says, “Play not with a man till you hurt him, nor jest till you shame him.”

“Excess of wit may oftentimes beguile; jests are not always pardon’d by a smile.” —Poor Richard

“The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.” —Jim Rohn

“Be silly, be honest, be kind.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wisdom Wednesday: Laughter

First aid kit image: Ics9 (http://www.sxc.hu/photo/878051)

Have you ever felt really low and then felt better after being around someone winsome and positive?  Or have you ever been brought down low by someone negative?  You’ve probably heard the saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.”  It is synonymous with the first part of Proverbs 17:22, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.”  An Irish proverb says, “A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything.”  Sandra Galati, a fellow blogger wrote, “A troubled mind begs the attention of a hopeful heart.”  We can be the medicine that someone else needs.  Heard any good jokes lately?

Andrew Carnegie said, “There is little success where there is little laughter.”  I’m sure you’ve experienced working with people who were always too serious and rarely laughed, made working a drudgery and brought everyone down.  But people who are responsible and have fun and laugh together make work more enjoyable and successful.  So if you tend to be too serious, lighten up!

Keeping Your Eye on the Ball

Do you ever wonder why you seem to keep ‘dropping the ball’?  A couple of nights ago I was playing catch with my little friend, Isabella, who is almost three years old.  She is wonderful at catching, especially for her age, but at one point she kept becoming momentarily distracted by the other children and would drop the ball.  She wanted to continue playing catch, so I finally said, “Isabella, you gotta keep your eye on the ball.”

Her response was so adorably humorous.  She took me literally, and as she tried to focus one eye on the ball, she blinked and winked with the other.  Her focused eye was intensely focused, but when I gently tossed the ball to her, she missed it, picked it up, and put the ball on her eye.  While being humble enough to take my advice and try to apply it, she’d forgotten she already knew how to catch.  I guess I should have simply encouraged her to pay attention instead.

Anyway, it got me thinking how the concept applies to life and how we can sometimes become so focused on one part of the process, one group of people, or one element that we forget about the others which are equally important.  Even though “Keep your eye on the ball” is an oft-used expression when teaching others to catch a ball, hit a baseball, or kick a soccer ball, our mind’s eye still sees our arms, hands, and feet participating in the action as well.  It takes focusing and coordinating all the parts in order to be successful and stop dropping the ball.

From the Heart

I recently received a birthday gift from a friend who does not have access to cards or pretty paper, but it is one of the best gifts I have ever received.  He wrote down a poem from memory that wasn’t sentimental and had nothing whatsoever to do with birthdays, but it brought a huge smile to my face and even made me laugh.  He’s a man’s man with a big heart.  This is what he wrote:

“To Rene!!!
Happy Birthday Young Girl

I don’t have access to a store that sells b-day cards, so I’ll send you a funny poem or rhyme I heard on TV!

There once was a man
Name Barney Fife
Who carried a pistol
And a knife
The pistol all rusty
The knife all dusty
Cause he never caught
A crook in his life!

Best I can do for a b-day card for you!  Hope you like it!  It sure makes me laugh!”

Yes, it did make me laugh, and I treasure it.

His gift reminded me of two things.  One is from The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring movie in which Sam expresses a tribute to the recently fallen wizard, Gandalf.  The elves were singing a hauntingly, beautiful lament, and he said, “I bet they don’t mention his fireworks.  There should be a verse about them.”  So he stood and proceeded to create a verse, “The finest rockets ever seen.  They burst in stars of blue and green.  Or after thunder, silver showers came falling like a rain of flowers.”  Then he discouragingly said, “Oh, that doesn’t do them justice by a long road.”

The second thing of which I was reminded is how the Bible expresses God’s perspective on gifts.  Like an earthly father and mother who appreciate even the smallest, heartfelt gifts from their children, God doesn’t expect perfect pitch when we sing songs of praise and thanksgiving to Him.  He doesn’t expect us to give hundreds or even thousands of dollars when we have only two copper coins, and He doesn’t expect a huge bouquet of flowers when all we have is a fistful of dandelions.  God loves a cheerful giver and a gift that comes from the heart.  (2 Cor. 9:7)

Bombs Away!

Yesterday I went up into the woods behind our house and sat on the tree fort our kids used to play on when they were young.  I needed to get away to confirm and think about something that had been said… something hurtful.  As I sat, I looked up and blinked away the tears to see this tiny heart in the bark of the tree.  God so often seems to come through and remind me that I am loved when I least expect it but need it most.

I wasn’t able to get a picture of the heart then, because I didn’t have my camera with me, and I had a commitment to which I had to attend.  But I went back this morning to capture the expression of God’s love to me.

As I was trying to get a good clear shot, I heard a squirrel scurrying and chattering in the branches above.  All of a sudden, I saw something fall and heard a thump.  I didn’t really think much of it until I saw another something fall, and I realized it was a pine cone.  “Hey!  Are you trying to hit me?” I called up into the tree.  The squirrel chattered again and another pine cone fell, and then another right behind me.  I felt the whoosh, it was so close!  “Hey!  Ok, I get the hint!  I’m almost done.  Just one more shot.”

The squirrel chattered again.  I love God’s sense of humor.  Thank you, Lord, for making me smile.

“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine…”  —Proverbs 17:22  KJV