About the Sport Principle<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The British Olympic sailing team\u2019s sports psychologist attributes the British Sailing Team\u2019s considerable success over the last two to three decades, to their deliberate policy of generating a team spirit among the sailors over the Olympic cycle, even though many of them are going out on the water on their own in their individual events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Application to Life<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prior to team GB\u2019s dominance, New Zealand were the main super-power in the word of sailing. In life, it\u2019s very easy to miss the point. New Zealand is a nation which famously has more sheep than people. GB could have gone down the route of surrounding our sailors with sheep in the mistaken belief that this was the key to NZ\u2019s success and in the hope that some of that success would rub off on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Please don\u2019t misunderstand the point today. Of course, ultimately, you stand or fall on your own relationship with God, we shall all one day stand individually accountable to Him for the lives we\u2019ve lived. But as human beings, we are not wired to be alone. No man is an island! In 2018, our government appointed a minister of loneliness to address what was perceived then to be a serious health problem. Due to a combination of factors including the pandemic, things have only got worse since: A recent BBC report stated that an estimated half of people aged 75 and over live alone \u2013 about 2 million people across England \u2013 with many saying they can go days, even weeks, with no social interaction at all. God sets us in a community, called the church. The church is God\u2019s best idea. She is His bride. The problem with church is that it is made up of people, who are also God\u2019s best idea (church and people are one and the same thing of course). People, made as we are in the image of God, are fantastic, but people are also tainted by sin, people are people, and they let us down. We even let ourselves down, let alone other people. But we are still the bride of Christ. Collectively, we may contribute to Christ\u2019s bride not being the most attractive in the history of the world: Her big unsightly warts might be our selfishness, and our laziness and reluctance to speak up for our faith may be the cause of her halitosis, but Jesus loves His bride nonetheless, and He died for her. Yes, we are all individuals, and loved by God as such, but we must never lose sight of being a community of individuals, and we lose sight of that collective sense of togetherness at our peril. Stay plugged into God\u2019s church. It\u2019s often said that if you find a perfect church, leave, because you will make it imperfect. We know that this side of heaven, the church is far from perfect, but she is God\u2019s gift to each of us. One day Jesus is coming back for his bride. May we all do our part to make the church of Jesus Christ the very best that she can be!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet us not stay away from church meetings. Some people are doing this all the time. Comfort each other as you see the day of His return coming near.\u201d <\/em>Hebrews 10:25<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Image Credit: EOS CCA Sailing Team via Flickr<\/p>\n