Winning happens behind the scenes

The Cleveland Indians’ dramatic first round ALCS play-off win over the New York Yankees has an interesting sidelight. The Indians are called a “family,” and this warm relationship is credited in part for their season’s success.

Evidently, this family thing extends beyond the players to their spouses. Team coaches sought advice as to how their players could maintain focus and win—a focus often marred by mundane distractions like friends clamoring for tickets. The advice was that the players be free from all non-essentials. The wives got together and agreed to assume all those distracting responsibilities and even mostly keep out of sight to allow their men total game concentration. Is that sexism, or is it a model of perceptive family members putting responsibility ahead of personal preferences and rights? It was a winning formula, and the Indians handily eliminated the Yankees 4-1 in the series.

Success in team sports goes way beyond the public figures. It’s the same in Christ’s Kingdom advance. Support personnel are so strategic, but they are often obscure or even invisible. Effective preaching in the pulpit is a reflection of praying in the pew. Front-line soldiers are vulnerable without the quiet logistics, supply lines, cooks, planners, funding and all the encouraging folks back home. And yes, “Behind every great man is a great woman.” Some years ago when I spoke at a state Gideon convention (the people who place Bibles in motel rooms and thousands of other places), I learned of their Women’s Auxiliary. They have a stirring motto: “We stay on our knees so our men can stay on their feet.”

In Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas departed on the first foreign missions trip of the early New Testament church. After prayer and fasting, “They sent them away” (Acts 13:3). This was beyond formal commissioning which was done by the Spirit sending them away as found in Vs. 4. “Sent” is from the Greek word meaning “to release.” The church literally “released them away.” They removed all distractions, perhaps even the nagging pressure of finances. Notice that Paul and Barnabas never voiced funding problems all the while they were away.

When Paul and Barnabas returned, they reported on all their successes before the supporting hometown crowd (Acts14:27). It was a common victory celebration, and I believe God’s spiritual rewards were evenly distributed. The Biblical precedent is found in 1 Samuel 30:24-25 where King David declared, “‘But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike.’ So it was, from that day forward....” It’s true in baseball, and it’s true among believers.

David Virkler