Men need teammates to encourage them, push them and to call them out when necessary. I was blessed with the opportunity to play college football at the University of Oklahoma. BOOMER SOONER! On top of that I was blessed to play o-line (offensive line), the best and most important position on the field.
No other position works as closely and in tandem as the o-line. They rely on each other nearly every play for communication of assignments. There are one-to-two double teams every run play. If your partner on that play doesn’t help you properly then you both look stupid. You must work with the other linemen every play to know what to do and how to do it.
Off the field you are even closer. No one messes with you or the other o-linemen. You live together, eat together (a lot) and usually goof off together. As a group you “did life” with each other every day, from winter to spring to summer to the season.
Men have a tendency to do life alone. Here are five ways to help you begin the process of building a brotherhood. These are the best ways I have found to build a team of men, to gain that locker room mentality that we need.
1. Be Real
Too many men put up a facade. They want everything on the outside to look like they have it all together, when in reality they are overwhelmed. You need a group of men where you can be real and honest. In the locker room, you could share your victories and your defeats— where you help each other in the tough times and celebrate life’s victories together.
2. Be Transparent
All men feel pain; it’s how you deal with it that matters. In any game there is always adversity; the same holds true for everyday life. Bad stuff happens. Allow your teammates to know what’s going on and support you. Odds are they have “fumbled” the ball as well. Share it, deal with it and get ready for what’s next.
3. Be Consistent
What builds a good team is time together—showing up when you are supposed to be there. It takes time to earn trust. Be there for each other. Over time you begin to form a bond, a brotherly love. “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor. 13:7 ESV). No matter what life throws at your teammates be there for each other.
4. Be Positive
How do you answer the question, “Is the glass half full or half empty?” God says “…my cup overflows” (Ps. 23:5). A man of faith who follows the Lord and goes to Him for strength and guidance has his cup overflowing. He can also inspire and fill up the cups of his teammates, brothers in Christ. “Let your light shine” (Matt. 5:16). Sometimes the only Bible people read is the one you live out. Let your light shine, inspiring others through their dark times.
5. Be Interested
Life isn’t all about you. Modern culture is “me” centered. A team is others centered. The athlete that wins an award often says, “I couldn’t have won this award without my teammates.” Good teammates see what’s going on and listen to one another with genuine interest.
A great first step to building a brotherhood is by bringing a group of men to Men’s Rewired Conference. On April 27-28, men from all over the region will pour into Falls Creek Baptist Conference Center. Visit www.menrewired.com for more information.
What makes Rewired so great is the intense amount of time you spend together, staying up late debriefing with the other men what happened that day, getting up early sharing a meal while laughing at the guy who snored the loudest. It is a time where I’ve formed lifelong bonds with my brotherhood. I look forward to seeing many men at Rewired in a couple of weeks.
Now find some teammates and do life together.
