Remember The Fundamentals

Remember the Fundamentals

Duke Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzweski once said, “There are five fundamental qualities that make every team great: communication, trust, collective responsibility, caring, and pride. I like to think of each as a separate finger on the fist. Any one individually is important. But all of them together are unbeatable.”

I love the fact that to accomplish something great, coaches know that you can’t forsake the fundamentals of human relationships. Just as there are fundamentals to playing roles in life and positions on a court, there are fundamentals that lead to relational and team success.

One of the most important fundamentals we should remember is love, as defined by 1 Corinthians 13. Former head coach of the Atlanta Hawks Lenny Wilkens would say, “If you want it, you’ve got to give it.” So let’s grade ourselves when it comes to living out the fundamental of love:

• Is your communication gracious and kind, or is it selfish and rude?
• Are you cultivating trust by being a person of integrity?
• Are you doing your part in carrying your responsibilities?
• Are you caring for the mission and proud to be on the team?

What kind of grade did you get today? Remember, today is an opportunity to get better. Ask the Lord to give you the love you need to be a great teammate.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!

1 Corinthians 13:4-8