Huddle Up
Defense. From my girly needing-to-see-some-action perspective, this year’s Super Bowl was pretty boring, and I only watched the second half! I didn’t have a favorite team in the fight, but I love the excitement of a touchdown. I also love watching the little-boy pride that comes out of grown players when they dance after scoring a touchdown. However, there weren’t many touchdown dances during this game. I’m sure the defensive efforts from both teams throughout the game was awesome for true football fans, but not for me. Even though each team was united to defend their cause, there was little action moving forward. Eventually the team with the highest score won the game.
The thoughts of defense made my mind run yard-for-yard toward the topics of love, relationships, and marriage. Thinking about times in which Eric and I have become defensive in personal attempts to keep the other from winning. We put up a strong defense in order to separate ourselves into two teams, so much that there’s little action toward a solution. Our own reasoning may have been evident, but our love, patience, and understanding—absent. We were only listening and waiting for the other to say the wrong thing, then looking for a way to disagree, never giving thought to listen for understanding from the other’s perspective. Just always on the defense. I think this defensive attitude can happen in any type of relationship. Rather than leading by the heart, we try to prove our rightness. Then we become consumed with self and let our tongue break another’s spirit (Proverbs 15:4). What a boring game life becomes when always on the defensive. There’s definitely no yardage being gained, or touchdown being made in that form of communication. It was shocking to realize that my way of thinking wasn’t always right! What?! Thankfully, because of God and His great act of love through Jesus, we know that love can bear, believe, hope, and endure all things (1 Corinthians 13:7).
Before every play in a football game a team huddles up. The quarterback makes sure the players on the field know what to do. They communicate. Even the players on the sidelines, though they may not hear the words spoken in every huddle, they still know the plays by signals. As a team, they have gone over every detail together prior to the big day. They worked hard and practiced in order to unite and move the ball up the field. After almost 18 years of marriage, these are things that Eric and I have learned we have to do – huddle up (and then maybe cuddle up, heeeyyy), plan ahead, and run the plays of life. We have a busy life, but that can’t be an excuse to excuse each other’s importance in our relationship. We both matter. We both make each other better. We both have things to say that need to be heard. Love and relationships aren’t a football game. No one has to win or lose. We’re a team, united as one, in Christ.
If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care – then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. (Philippians 2:1-4 msg)