The Real Reason We Root!

All it takes is to walk into a room where a ballgame is playing on TV, and in mere minutes I will be rooting for one of the teams. Perhaps I am more competitive than some, but I've a feeling most men and a good number of women enjoy taking a side and vicariously competing on the court, or field of play.

So how is it we come to pull for a team? Most of the time, for me at least, it boils down to such matters as rooting for whoever is losing, b/c I like to pull for the underdog. Or, if I don't have a clue about either team, perhaps my instantaneous loyalty is due to whichever team is closer to my part of the country, or whether they are from the East or West. (usually pull for the Western team) Sometimes our rooting is due to a distant relative who may have gone to one of the schools competing, whether or not they graduated or not. At the lowest level, rooting may depend on which team has the coolest looking uniform.

While our team of choice in sports makes little difference, let me use this idea as a backdrop for how some folks support (or not) their church. It is my feeling that there should be a deep loyalty to ones place of worship. Since every church has areas of strength and areas of weakness, good points and bad points, it amazing how folks change loyalty like picking an unknown team playing on the TV in your living room.

Real loyalty pulls for a church because of important things like it being the right thing to do, like propagating a heritage for their children, like having pride in a place that is so valuable to their community and the list goes on. However, humans often are short sighted. Rooting for or against their church, their leadership can be as fickle as the color of trim on the pew. Some wind up being enemies of their own church b/c they've become fixated on small, insignificant things. I have heard folks say, "Well, I'm gonna go to another church 'cause I just like their music." I want to say...what about your children having stability and learning faithfulness. What about teaching your kids that it's fine to just walk out and leave the church in a lurch so you can get your 'flavor' of music, preaching, big screen event, etc.

I just want to put in the hearts of people the need to root for your home team. Do it for all the right reasons. When we are all rooting for the right reasons, it will do a lot for the church. It's more than the trappings. Root from the heart!

Ya Gotta Take a Side

Watching a boxing match just is no fun unless you are rooting for someone. The same is true for any sports, football, basketball, soccer, etc. I don't just watch a match or a game in the neutral position, I take sides.

Just this morning, while spending some time with my mother, I watched a couple of big brutes enter the ring. It was something like...."In the Red Corner, Gregory 'great gobstopper pack-a-whop' Dowsinski, fighting against Jeffery 'lightning knuckles, turftoe' Jackson from the Blue Corner." Man, it doesn't take me very long to pick a side, despite the fact that I have never heard of either one. I mean I have mere seconds to decide and it is usually based on which color shorts I like the best, or which one looks like the underdog, or if he has a Christian symbol on his robe, or if he looks the other guy in the eye while the ref gives instructions. You get the point. I mean, I am ready to root this 'pack-a-whop' dude through to victory and have a grand celebration because....I like his tatoo and mostly because....well, I need to root for someone.

If you have any gusto in you, you should root for folks. It appears Jesus did. In fact Christ told one of His own men, who was in the fight of his life, "I have prayed for you!" Jesus rooted for the underdog. He told the woman that was about to get her brains smashed out by law-loving-legalists, "Go, and sin no more!" It's really cool when God says "Go!" It's really cool when He says it several times in succession....like, "Go, Go, Go!" and then follows up with "Great Job!"

As Christians we should be ready to take a side. I don't mean in a church squabble or in personal conflicts with others or merely at the annual volleyball game. I mean we must be ready to root for the sinner finding his/her way to God. To help the single mom who wants so desperately to raise her kids right, but barely has the money to survive. We must chant for the couple who goes through marital troubles, but get the help they need to thrive again. A hallelujah cheer should immediately rise from our hearts and voices when a prodical comes home! These are things for which we should root and cheer.

I think we often spend too much time in neutral. It is easy to sit back and criticize or analyze or any other 'ize' you want to talk about, without getting involved. Time is running out, pick a side! Joshua told his followers, "Choose you this day whom you will serve....as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." I am standing in the corner of those who want salvation, who want love, who want redemption and restoration, and those who can get back up when some situation in life has given them a slobber- knocker!

You will find me yelling at the TV for old, 'what his name' just because I want him to win. Hope you have chosen to support the right things with your life, time, energy and money.

God bless all the Dowsinski's,

Tim