Whether it’s the talking heads on ESPN or just a bunch of guys sitting around watching a game, sports conversations will often drift to discussing the “GOAT,” the greatest of all time.
While I understand the fascination with the topic, I feel like there is at least one major flaw in this overall approach. Even if you don’t care about sports, please stay with me; there’s a greater point I’m hoping to make here.
For example, one could easily argue that Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player ever. Others would then weigh in with names like LeBron James, Larry Bird, Stephen Curry, or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The problem is that basketball – like football, baseball, hockey, soccer, etc. – is a team sport. Michael Jordan may have led the team in scoring, rebounds, assists, and so on, but he didn’t win one game, much less six championships (and two Olympic gold medals), unless there were four other guys on the court with him and 10 others on the bench ready to sub in if needed.
In his book, The 21 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, John Maxwell’s first chapter is summed up in one statement:
One is too small a number to achieve greatness.
The truth is, I could have chosen any field; there will always be pioneers, talents, leaders, and individuals we admire. But the truth is, nothing significant was ever achieved by an individual acting alone.
It may seem a little cheesy, but I still believe it to be a true and valuable sentiment:
TEAM: Together, Everyone Achieves More
As we move forward with our LIFE Group conversations (October 6, 13, & 20) this idea of TEAM is crucial to our understanding. No one person is going to be expected to carry the full weight, but rather, our desire is that every member of our faith family will be a part of a team, working together to fulfill truly God-sized goals.
If we want to do something BIG, we’re going to need each other!