I watched a Michigan women's basketball game on Sunday. We had fairly good seats, so I could actually see all the player's faces. It was really beautiful to watch, especially since I had played on the tennis team in high school and some intramural basketball in college. It reminded me of the team spirit that was so enjoyable. And I want that. I looked at how players on the opposite team defended their person--pushing them back; I looked at how players within each team high-fived each other or patted each other in encouragement. The support, the team spirit was great.
It did make me miss competitive sports, where you matter to the team, and the team matters to you. Playing (competitively) on a sports team is a very unique experience that combines many different emotions and other aspects into one experience. It's not really like friendship or any other relationship. It's not like work or school or any other achievement. The mental and emotional aspects of the game are equally as important as the technical aspects. The physical and verbal emotional encouragement is intense and generous throughout the game. Things happen fast. Camaraderie is huge. It's pretty much addictive.
Camaraderie, acceptance, approval, love, respect, trust, encouragement, etc, all wrapped up in one experience.
I definitely saw that on Sunday and missed it.
But there are times when I feel the Church is all of that too. A team that has one goal, one core focus, and supports one another in love. It's just not as intense (and often not taken as seriously).
