When I came to the Pittsburgh Steelers, I was a rookie and came in during the heyday when they were in the process of winning four Super Bowls in six years. You think of all the star players and the Hall of Fame guys and you think, well that’s why they’re so good. But it really wasn’t. As I got there, I saw how it operated. It was the practices. It was everybody working together. I think it’s still possible to achieve that today. The good teams have that. Even though you have star players, they understand that it’s not 11 individuals who are going to go out there and have things run smoothly enough to win.

Which of our athletic gifts are most important to us as competitors? Perhaps it is strength or speed. Or maybe it is hand-eye coordination or a competitive nature. Regardless of the gift, do we know the One who gave it to us? Peter mentioned giftedness in 1 Peter 4:10. Here we read that Peter knew that we are all gifted. There is likely no group on the planet who understands this more than an athletic team. The issue for us is not whether or not we are gifted, but rather who it is that gives us the gifts, and how we shall respond to Him?

Our gifts are described as being part of the manifold grace of God. In other words, God’s grace has been distributed to each of us in unique ways. Our best response to a gracious Giver is to use our giftedness to serve those around us.

Why do we place so much emphasis on the role we have on a team? For example, a non-starter might think, I’m not on the field . . . I’m not good enough. On the other hand, starters might carry an I’m better than you attitude. We must evaluate our attitudes. Does our attitude bring a smile to God’s face? On a team, each person’s talents add to the whole. Who, by themselves, could take on a whole team and win?

It takes heart to play sports. Coaches fire up their teams by saying, “Go out there and play with all your heart!” While skills and talent are important, playing with heart separates the good from the great. When my daughter plays basketball and looks toward me, I pound my hand on my heart. It is my sign to encourage her to play with heart. Playing with heart is about drive, passion, and desire.

I remember starting practice for fall sports after a lazy summer. Practice often included two-a-days—working in the morning and afternoon to get in shape for the season. If we didn’t stay in shape during the summer, we were going to suffer.

Suffering, pain, and hardships are not things we look forward to. How often do we pray for anything on that list—or thank God for such difficulties? We avoid them! We would rather experience God’s blessings, favor, and success. Yet Paul not only experienced persecution on a regular basis, the Holy Spirit led him into it.

We’ve seen the commercial more than once—the one where the guy walks around with his cell phone, pausing every couple of steps to ask the question “Can you hear me now? Good.” We are reminded that some companies go to a lot of trouble to keep their communication lines open. We have all experienced areas where cell phone communication breaks down, when we can’t hear at all.

Stop for a moment and think about the effort God has made to communicate His unending love for us. His message is clear. He loves us and wants us to respond by living our lives in the truth—a truth that honors our Creator and loves and serves our fellow man. The problem is that we don’t listen. We are too wrapped up in ourselves to notice His call.