Championship Team: Lessons from Faith & Sports

The Power of Teamwork

I have always believed there is something truly powerful about team sports. You bring together a group of people with vastly different skills and life experiences, who instantly bond over their shared love of one sport. Each person brings unique strengths that, when combined, form the entire team. While millions of individuals form teams worldwide every year, what truly distinguishes a “championship team”?

I’ve had the privilege of being part of some “championship teams,” from club and high school to college and the professional level. As I’ve re-engaged with professional indoor volleyball over the past two years, the Lord has opened my eyes to what a championship team looks like in His eyes. After being given the opportunity to play various roles on my teams, He has consistently shown me the invaluable nature of each position; that without every member, a team cannot exist. A championship team emerges when each member, guided by the coach’s vision, contributes their unique gifts, forming a unified family where even the smallest role proves crucial to achieving collective success.

God’s Ultimate Team: The Body of Christ

I believe we can gain a better understanding of “Championship Teams” by examining how God designed His own team. In 1 Corinthians, Paul describes the Body of Christ. “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.” (1 Corinthians 12:12) Our Heavenly Father’s goal was to create a team, a family, where He is our lifelong coach. His aim is to cultivate our growth and make us more holy and righteous in the image of His son, Jesus Christ. In His family, each individual is assigned a role, and He emphasizes that we all need each other, and without each person, His team would be incomplete.

“But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” (1Corinthians 12:24-26)

Finding Your Purpose in God’s Plan

God created each human being in His image. He has given each of us a distinct purpose on earth and a specific role to play on His eternal team. He considers every person’s role significant and of the utmost importance. No role is superior to another. This is precisely what I observe in the most successful sports teams. It is when each member’s role is respected and valued by every team member. It is when we believe that when one teammate excels, we all excel. When one of us struggles and falls short, we all feel it. We are one body.

I appreciate how Paul further compares God’s family to our human bodies. “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you.’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you.'” Paul’s words should deeply resonate with us. God designed each part of the human body with a specific purpose and its size does not diminish its value. Consider our heart, for example. It is small and invisible to the naked eye, yet it plays one of the most critical roles in sustaining our lives.

This is just one of many ways I’ve begun to see the parallels between Faith and Sports. Just as Jesus emphasizes the value of each individual in His family, on our sports teams here on earth, each teammate plays a special role as well that makes the team whole.

Why God’s Team is the Greatest

Having explored the parallels between Faith and Sports, I’d like to conclude by examining why sports teams and Jesus’ Team are not the same, and how Jesus’ team truly is the greatest team we could ever be a part of in this life.

On a sports team, your position is never guaranteed. As you progress, the stakes rise, and in some cases, you may be cut or traded. You may be on the team one day and not the next. This is not the case once you join God’s team. When you repent and believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior of this world, you become a member of God’s eternal team. A team that transcends this lifetime. God is your coach, and you are His player. He is a coach who will never cut you from the team. He will love you with an unwavering love, always ready to welcome you with open arms. And instead of turning away when He sees our weaknesses and flaws, He pursues you even more, never abandoning you. Instead, He will cultivate your growth and help you become the best person you can be in this life.

The confidence I have in God and the significant role I play on His eternal team instills confidence in me, regardless of the roles, whether large or small, that I play on my sports teams. Whether I’m playing every second of the game or the final three points of a match, or if I didn’t even play that day, I know each role holds immense value, whether witnessed by thousands or no one. The roles I play on my teams may not always satisfy me; they come and go. However, the greatest gift in life is knowing that I’m on His eternal team forever.

Song on repeat this week: