Relationship Focus

Today I would like to share another of the principles I learned from my mentor, Fred Bishop of No Greater Love Ministries, in the USA. http://www.nogreaterlove.org/

Relationship focus – The Sport Chaplain or Sport Mentor, like everyone else, has a limited number of hours in which to accomplish his/her tasks.  The Chaplain or Mentor may field any number of calls, emails or text messages, each one seeming as important and as urgent as the next.  How should one sort out which are most important and which deserve to be handled most urgently?  I believe we can learn some wisdom from a model evident in the ministry of the Lord Jesus.  It is diagrammed on the following page in a set of concentric circles with Christ at the center. 

1.   In Mark chapter 6, there were 5,000 men, plus women and children fed by the Lord Jesus one day.  That was their level of commitment, to eat lunch.

2.   There were 3,000 people in Acts chapter 2 who committed their lives to Christ on the day of Pentecost.  A higher commitment level, but still just introductory.

3.   There were 120 people praying in an upper room prior to the events of that same day.  They had a higher commitment level yet.

4.   In Luke chapter 10 Christ sent 70 people out in sets of two to speak about the Kingdom of God.  They took greater risks, indicative of a still higher level of commitment.

5.   The 12 disciples left their family businesses and eventually gave their lives to follow Jesus.  Theirs was a very high commitment level.

6.   Within that group of 12 disciples there were 3 men, Peter, James and John, who were even more closely aligned with the Christ.  They were at the Mount of Transfiguration and followed Him further into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray.

7.   In the center of all these relationships was Christ Jesus Himself.

 

Critical Questions:

Who/where is my group of 5,000?  ___________________________________

Who/where is my group of 3,000?  ___________________________________

Who is in my group of 120?  _________________________________________

Who is in my group of 70?  __________________________________________

What are the names of my 12?  ___________________

Who are my 3? ____________   _____________   _______________

From the diagram and Christ’s model we can see that Jesus spent more of His time with those most highly committed to Him and to His purposes.  He spent proportionately less time with those whose commitment seemed proportionately lesser.

The Sport Chaplain or Sport Mentor certainly has a similar set of relationships which can be seen in concentric circles.  Some of those relationship circles will include coaches, competitors, their families, team support personnel, sport officials, even fans and others outside the arena of sport.  Given the limited time one has, it would be wise to determine who is in which circle and to prioritize one’s time accordingly.  This tool can be most helpful in the process of determining how much time to spend with which set of people.