Encouraging the team
By Dara Fillmore

The players silently hoard their squares of turf. After a shrill shriek, the whistle falls from the referee’s mouth. The ball drops to the ground with a hollow thump. Player No. 20 swipes the ball with the inside of his right foot. He glances up. Another boy with the same green-colored jersey hops up past a blue-clad girl. No. 20 gets control of the ball and smacks it around the player dressed in blue. Another blue comes up in the way and hits the ball across the midline and up the field toward the green goal.

Three greens start toward the ball; one slams it away, hoping to get it past the blue forwards. One of the forwards leaps in the ball’s path, capturing it with his shin guard. He dribbles his captive back toward the goal. As the green defense closes in, the blue player sneaks a look to his left and sees another blue.

Giving himself time to pass, he fakes right, fakes a strong kick and taps it to his teammate. She in turn catches the ball, fakes and dribbles it toward the net. Eyeing the other players, she skirts around the defense and prepares to score a goal.

The keeper crouches, ready. He tries to see if she will fake or not. She does. Coming to the far right of the netted goal, she almost kicks the sphere into it. The keeper dives; the girl again traps the ball and boots it into the left side of the goal. Everyone with a blue jersey -- inside and outside the white chalk lines -- leaps into the air. The green clad players quietly head to the midline to start again.

Yelling and cheering. Happiness and disappointment. Fakes, kicks, headers and handballs. Coaching, switching, falling, hurting -- all these are part of soccer. Feel the adrenaline as the ball flies your way. Feel the disappointment as the ball rolls behind your goalkeeper. Hear the coach yell, “Nice footwork, great job, good try!” Remember what your job is as midfielder, defender, keeper or forward. Be an encouraging assistant coach for your teammates when you’re outside the white line.

For soccer, there must be a coach, a team and loads of teamwork. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are each a player on God’s team. We each have things we’re good at, and things at which we’re not so good. A team needs every player fully engaged in order to do well in the game. We all need to encourage one another along the way. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

Pass the ball, make the goal and cheer with the team.