Weekly Words

Rock Climbing

If you have ever played, observed, or been at a sporting event, then you know what it means for a player or a team to have the “home court advantage.” This idea refers to the reality that most teams play better and win more when they are at a venue where the audience is cheering for them and supporting their efforts. Yet, have you ever really thought about how powerful the “home court advantage” actually is and what constitutes this power?

Spectators go to a game and shout frantically, cheer feverishly, and even jump, point, and shake their fist frenetically in an attempt to literally will their team into victory. Interestingly enough, nothing they do physically assist the players. They cannot give anyone a better aim, make anyone stronger, or provide anyone more speed, athleticism, or quickness. However, all the statistics tell us that an overwhelming amount of teams win more games at home than they do on the road. Cheering does not give a team a better strategy, nor does it provide a tactical advantage. Yet time and time again players perform better and teams are more victorious when they are at home receiving encouragement and support from people who are on their side and want them to win. The amazing key to the home court advantage is while it is not a physical, strategic, or tactical advantage, it is a spiritual advantage. There is something about the cheers of the crowd, the energy that it forms in the arena, and the inspiration that it provides for the players that make them more likely to win. The advantage given to the players is not touched or seen, it is felt! In essence, the home court advantage is a testament to the power of COMMUNITY.

As we go through life and face obstacles and opponents, both seen and unseen, it is extremely important for us to recognize the value of creating our own “home court advantage.” Our chances of winning the varying and voluminous battles of life get much better, when we have people cheering for our success, pushing for us to play better, and hoping that we will win. Therefore, winning in life takes more than just attending to our own individual needs and personal preparation. It benefits our cause and behooves our life to find and form communities that will nurture, sustain, care, and Love us. For all of its faults, this is the value of church! Church should at least provide you a community that is praying, preaching, and pulling for your triumph. We need people in the bleachers of and around our lives screaming frantically, cheering feverishly, and gesturing frenetically to the end that we score a point, make a basket, and win the game. Community gives us a better chance at victory! The “home court advantage” helps us win.

Who gives you your “home court advantage?” As you fast, pray, read self-help books, practice, and work towards developing yourself and your spirituality, don’t make your journey insular and individualistic. Pay careful attention to the people in and around your life and make sure they are cheering and not booing, pulling for your success and not rooting for you failure. If you find yourself playing life’s game on the road, then let me encourage you today to find people who want you to win and go home.

Humbly in Christ’s Love,
Pastor B.A. Jackson