Pull back our SHOULDERS. 
Lift up our CHINS.
Place our HANDS upon our HIPS.
Squint our EYES, just enough to give our EYES a piercing stare.
Squeeze together our LIPS to create a thin lip line.
Stand with our LEGS slightly parted, evenly distributing our weight upon each FOOT. 
Now we are ready.
Now we are prepared. 
Now we can readily face the challenge that we sense approaching……..our team stands together, shoulder-to-shoulder, knowing we can reach victory.
My team consisted of these players: Janice D.  Pate.  Jennifer.  Shirley.  Gail.  Kathy.  Sue.  Connie.  Janice B.  Me.

OUR TEAM.

Competition.   We teach our children (probably as we were taught) that working hard together to reach a goal is a worthy endeavor.
When I was in high school, I was athletic, and that characteristic provided me with the strength and ability to “field” a ball on the softball field and to “run down” a fly ball in the outfield.   There is a sense of pride, a sweet feeling that comes, when you have “turned an infield play,” and the opponent is called “OUT” as she hangs her head in defeat—walking back to the opposing side—THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FIELD—(to the OTHER TEAM’S dugout).

Back then, when I was a teenager, I was given the opportunity to play on a ladies’ industrial softball team.  Oftentimes throughout the summer, we would play two and three nights a week, traveling to games, playing in tournaments. I clearly remember one particular weekend, one where we played an all-night tourney, one where…..WHEN we kept winning……THEN we kept playing.

On that particular night, we played into the wee hours of the night, winning game after game after game, tired but Not, sleepy but Not, continually winning and proud to be part of the WINNING TEAM!

On that particular summer evening, we knew we would face tough competition because several teams had traveled to the ballpark to play in this tournament. We read the tournament bracket and began “playing” game one. As I mentioned earlier: We played.  And We won. Our competitive spirit took over, and we knew we had to defeat the next team we faced. We played again, and again and again….winning game after game after game, playing deep into the night, playing throughout the night, playing so long that we saw the softball field pole lights become bright, and then playing so long that we saw the softball field pole lights become dim as the sun rose over the horizon the next morning. That whole night, my team sensed the “power” found in “playing” on the Winning Team. Truly, we knew the great feeling to be part of a team—–The Winning Team!
To become a REALLY GREAT TEAM, we had to work hard—Individually and Collectively—striving to reach our strength, fully aware that at the end, we would receive three things—

• A TEAM Trophy.
• An INDIVIDUAL Trophy.  &
• Bragging Rights.

Fast forward to just a few years ago. If you walked with me down my basement steps, you would have seen a white bookshelf and you would have found sitting upon the second shelf from the top, a small, individual trophy—MY INDIVIDUAL TROPHY!!! It is the trophy from that night. A few years ago, I looked at that individual trophy, remembered the determination we felt that night, and realized just how significantly “SMALL” my win was in relation to the people, the other teammates—THE PEOPLE—I met, those who were also playing upon that same field on that summer night.
So today, it makes me wonder the answers to these questions—–Are we “playing” the TRUE game of life?

• Are we working hard to win both an individual trophy to carry home and a team trophy, striving with all our might to be victorious, to be declared: THE BEST TEAM—TEAM HUMANITY? &
• IF THAT GOAL IS OUR LIFE GOAL, THEN WHAT DOES THAT LIFE GOAL LOOK LIKE IN THE “REALITY” OF ETERNAL LIFE? &
• How do we react in this “game” of life when we think our self-imposed freedoms have been infringed upon, and when they are, Why do we allow ourselves to reach a state of indignation.   &
• Do we even know what in the world all that really means? &
• Do we even know how we should react toward the “life-teams” we face OR how we should react in a way that is right in the eyes of God?

There is a word that we throw around quite often—FREEDOM—& we use this word as though this state of being is ours to possess, as in “our freedom” when the only “TRUE FREEDOM” comes from God.
There is another word that we employ, a word we do not readily, verbally define to our children—INFRINGEMENT—BUT we do teach this word through our daily actions as we face “the other team” members.
Then when we think our freedom has become infringed upon, we become—INDIGNANT—But, what does this word even mean in the context of our freedom, when the eternal freedom can only be found in laying down our cross and following Jesus?

FREEDOM—-When defined, this word means to speak, to act, to think without hinderance, & to do so without restraint (a paraphrase).  We gain our “freedom” when we choose to follow Jesus.
INFRINGEMENT–When defined, this word means to encroach, to intrude upon someone, to step upon his territory of rightness, as though to undermine another (a paraphrase).  We seek to lose this “intrusion” when we seek to follow Jesus in humility.
INDIGNANT–When defined, this word means to show our personal annoyance at others who we feel have treated us unfairly, and in doing so, they have infringed upon our freedoms (a paraphrase). We show our love for others when we “turn the other cheek” as Jesus taught us to do.

Do We?

• Do we ever want to do what we want?
• Do we ever want our way?
• Do we ever merely “play” in the game of life, not caring when the opposing team leaves the “field of life” dejected and defeated, not caring if we have caused them personal injury, not caring if we have “stepped” on them just so we could win……OR……Do we seek to play the TRUE & ONLY REAL game of eternal life that matters?
• Do we want to win at all cost?……OR…..Do we seek to win THE LOST at all cost?
• Do we ever NOT care that another human being might be hurt, and do we ever just ignore that fact because our “wants,” are greater……OR……Do we care more that another human being is LOST and ETERNALLY SEPARATED from Almighty God?

It makes us wonder the distance found in this image:

How far is our outstretched FINGERTIP upon our right HAND in relationship to our HEART? &

How far is our outstretched HAND as we reach out with our FINGERTIPS of our right HAND to pull another toward us and toward our HEART, as we show them our RIGHT HAND of fellowship, love, and compassion?

The world teaches us wrong sometimes.   How do we know? That’s such an easy question. The Bible—God’s Holy Scripture–reassures us of this truth—both the New Testament and the Old Testament.

Inspired by God, we find Paul writing to the Gauls living in the city of Galatia, explaining to them God’s definition of freedom & love—“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF” (Galatians 5: 13-14).

Then we find the words of Joshua, also inspired by God, words Joshua recorded for the Israelites, right before his death, explaining to them God’s definition of servitude—“Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.

If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River; or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living, but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD”. (Joshua 24: 14-15).

God sets before each of us, life and death; we must choose life. God gives us wisdom to make the right choices as we walk through this life, not to be led by the emotional outcome of the “game of life” we seem to enjoy playing, but by the “fellowship of life” we MUST CHERISH as we work together and win together, all playing upon the same team—the team of Humanity.

So today, let us strive, as Paul writes, to “not turn [y]our freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love [let us] serve one another…” love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Galatians 5: 13-14).

And let us “fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth;” (Joshua 24: 14-15).

WHY?……..Because (after all) we are ALL on the SAME TEAM—THE TEAM OF HUMANITY.

WHY?……..Because (after all) we are ALL called to “love our neighbors as ourselves.”

SO LET US BEGIN “PLAYING” THIS TRUE GAME OF LIFE and LET US BEGIN TODAY.