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.
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