pairs

I was watching the pairs figure skating (it was a lazy Sunday afternoon and I had no control over the remote, OK?) and I saw one of the skaters fall. My first thought was, “What is his partner thinking?” When you fall by yourself, you have a choice. You can pick yourself up and, for personal pride, continue to skate even though you know you’re out of medal contention. Or you can just pack it in and you don’t affect anyone but yourself (and a few million of your countrymen, but they’re not on the ice with you). But if you have a partner you have to think about how your reaction affects your partner. It’s not just about you anymore. It’s not just personal pride at stake, but the morale of your partner and your future as a competing team.

In the Christian life we never fall alone. The other day I stumbled on an old song that I used to cover in a band 25 years ago (yikes, I’m ancient!). Twila Paris’ “The warrior is a child” describes the weaknesses that a soldier of the faith feels inside in spite of the bravado displayed on the outside. The song implies that the only one who really understands the inner life of the soldier is our Commander, but that can’t (or shouldn’t) be completely true. We have others around us, fighting the same battles, who would support us if we would get over our rugged individualism and open up to them.

God places the members in the body “as he wills” (1 Corinthians 12:18 KJV). Just as parts of the body need each other and can’t function by themselves, so God’s designed His Church to be interdependent. You and I can’t drop out without it affecting a lot of other people.

I suppose I could have had similar thoughts watching the interview with the losing coach of the Super Bowl, but I was too busy eating.