Indiana folk, who have been blessed with many great college basketball teams, may not have gotten too pumped up the Loyola Ramblers run to the Final Four, but Chicagoans like myself sure did. We haven’t had a nationally rank men’s college basketball team in decades. So when Sister Jean and the Ramblers caught fire, I was there each step of the way, all the way to San Antonio.

 

What amazed me about the Ramblers was the way they played the game. Some commented that they played the game the way it is supposed to be played. They zigged and zagged, passed and passed again, shot threes like they were shooting layups, and played both ends of the court. The coach called it selfless and talked about his players buying into the concept of team. As a result, the players did not care who received the accolades. Those attitudes, along with hard work and excellent coaching, led to an unprecedented run to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Final Four.

 

Amazing what a group of young men accomplished by placing the team above themselves.
Amazing what any group of people can accomplish when buy into a mission or purpose that is greater than themselves. Ironically, we seem to forget this. Too often than we care to admit, a spirit of pride flourishes in our hearts and we insist on being the focus of attention. Then, predictably, we receive accolades but our team loses, that is, our marriage, our family, our work, our neighborhood, our church, all lose.

 

Thankfully, there is hope for our forgetfulness—Walking with Jesus. He was the ultimate team player. Motivated and empowered by a spirit of humility, he gave up everything for the sake of the team. Then, he gave us the Holy Spirit so we can do the same.

 

Furture study this message in scripture Philippians 2:5-11