I have coached all three of my children in soccer at some time in their lives. I loved teaching them and their teammates the importance of functioning as one unit. If we were not all moving together toward victory, we would all find ourselves together in defeat. We used to go through one drill I called the “human foosball.” We would scrimmage with players in lines like on a foosball table. If you ever got too far behind or too far ahead of those in your line, play would stop and the ball would go to the other team. The goal was to help build an awareness of where your teammates were on the pitch and to teach the lesson that no one player is a team onto themselves.

As disciples and stewards, we sometimes find ourselves far behind or maybe even too far ahead. As a consequence, our actions either hinder the ability of the Body of Christ to evangelize and pass on the faith to a new generation or present the Church as an entity that sees itself as judgmental or too holy to be in the world. We are called to community, and in that community, we must be aware of our brothers and sisters in the faith. At times, we need to help them grow in their faith. Other times, we need to slow down and realize that we cannot change the world on our own. We all have unique gifts we are called to share, and we can only bear true witness to the power of the Body of Christ when we are all moving together and making each other strong.

-Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS