Whether I’m sitting in the bleachers watching my kids fight for a win on the baseball field or just trying to get everyone through the week in one piece, I’m constantly reminded of one undeniable truth: we were never meant to do this life alone. Mic drop!
Athletes get this immediately or should. No single player wins a championship by themselves; it takes a team that works together as one, trusts in one another, and a strong support system cheering them on in the bleachers or lawn chairs. If you think about it, the exact same idea applies in our homes with our families.
When I was looking for my topic this week and came across Ecclesiastes, and this passage jumped out at me because it reads just like a playbook might. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says that two are better than one because they get a good return for their labor. It talks about how if one person falls down, their companion can reach out and lift them up. My favorite part is the ending, where it says that while one person might be overpowered, two can defend themselves—and a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
That visual reminds me when someone gets hurt in a game and everyone takes a knee as support and as soon as the injured player stands so does everyone clapping and cheering to lift them up. That is exactly what a family is supposed to do as well. We are each other’s built-in safety net. When life knocks one of us down, the rest of the crew steps in to lift them back up.
It also reminds me of how teams play defense. Opponents always look for gaps or weaknesses to break through. In our daily lives, those opponents look like stress, packed schedules, and the exhaustion of balancing practice times with schoolwork. If we try to tackle all these pressures alone, we wear down and fast! But when we all come together as a team in my family, we become incredibly difficult to break. Kind of like Red Rover – although I never could play that as a kid since my arms popped out of their sockets to easily LOL!!
The real secret weapon, though, is that three-strand cord. If you think of your family as individual threads, on their own they might snap under pressure. But when you all weave together, and put your faith at the center of your daily routine, everything changes. That third strand anchors us all together as an unbreakable team.
When we work on always keeping this team strong you are doing far more than just surviving a sports season. You’re actually stepping into your roles as good stewards of what God has given us. God trusted us with our families, our health, our time, and our athletic talents. Stewardship is about taking care of the people and gifts that He entrusted us with. When we deliberately clear space in our chaotic schedules to share a family meal, we are stewarding our time. When we encourage our kids to use their athletic talents to lift up a discouraged teammate instead of hunting for personal glory, we are stewarding their character. Even in the car rides home from a tough loss, when we choose to focus on growth and grace rather than anger, we are being faithful managers of our children’s hearts.
By treating our family relationships and our daily schedules as sacred gifts to be protected, we show God that we are faithful with what He put in our hands. We turn every practice, every game, and every carpool into an act of worship.
So next time you are cheering from the sidelines, driving to an early morning practice, or just sitting around the dinner table, take a look at your team. We are always stronger when we play together, and we honor God when we manage our team well.
A Quick Huddle Prayer
Lord, thank You for the ultimate team You have placed around me—my family. Help us to be excellent stewards of our time, our energy, and the talents You’ve given us. When one of us falls, give us the grace to lift them up. We invite You to be the third strand in our cord so that our home stays strong, unified, and centered on You. Amen.