I was at the inaugural event at the new Investor’s Group Stadium this afternoon of One Heart. Mark Hughes exhorted the assembled crowd to remember that all the churches in this city of Winnipeg are on one team, the same team…and that when the churches of Winnipeg support and work together, things become possible in remarkable ways.
Given that it was in a football stadium, Mark had no shortage of sports metaphors to make his point. One story he told was of Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson. Jackie, the first African American to play for major league. Mark told of the heckling and abuse that came his way…and of the jeering and boos he received when he made an error at second base. Jackie later said that at that moment, he “knew” that he was done.
But something happened. “Pee Wee” Reese, the short stop, came over and put his arm around him in solidarity. He was a team member to Jackie in ways that stilled the crowd and put wind in Jackie’s sails in a powerful way. A signal was sent to the crowd and the rest of the team. He went on to break ground in baseball and social justice in powerful ways. A statue of Pee Wee with his arm around Jackie stands in front of the baseball stadium in Brooklyn.
At our house, we were struck by the power of the story, the courage of Jackie, and the courage of Pee Wee. We were inspired to watch 42, the story of Jackie Robinson in baseball…inspired to learn more of what happened.
It got me to thinking about the power of supporting team members. I spend a bucketload of time on bleachers watching team sports, and love watching. I’ve seen teams rise to be successful because of tremendous teamwork above what the individuals abilities suggest is possible. I’ve also seen teams with incredible raw talent and individual ability be positively mediocre…and find out later why. Can you imagine what happens to team play when, after a person messes up a play, another team member says, “If we lose, it’s your fault”, or “I won’t pass the ball to you if you do that again” or something similar? >
- The spirit of the team sinks rapidly,
- it stops being fun, and
- the team’s effectiveness plummets
But then, I got to thinking further. About the last few days around our household…and about the team we are…and about how I have dealt with the challenges in our household…and gulp…I realized that I was no Pee Wee Reese the last few days.
I want to give the members of my team…my family, my colleagues at work, my students…the sort of support that Pee Wee gave Robinson. Life isn’t easy, there are constant challenges, unknown burdens and barriers, internal battles and hurts and bruises for all…we all need folks like Pee Wee on our team to give us support and confidence to continue forward.
I’m starting my week with the intention to play a Pee Wee role in the lives of those I come in contact with…gutsy, courageous support.
Does your team know you to be a Pee Wee in their lives?
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