Playing for the "Away Team"

"Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves."  Luke 10:3

For all of the college basketball fans in the nation, the month of March isn't just another month to tear off of the calendar.  Fanatical college basketball fans live for the month of March, especially if their team has made it to the playoffs. 

The hype of March Madness reminds me of all of the correlations I drew between the game of basketball and the life of a believer, which I wrote about in "Lessons in the Game of Life."  One of the realizations I had while sitting amongst the mass of excited fans at a college basketball game was that there are times in the game of life when you are the "Home Team" and times when you are the "Away Team."

The places where we are the "Home Team" are the places where we get the pats on the back, the "atta boy's", and affirmation when we do something of importance.  They're the places where people have your back and where you have way more friends than enemies.

However, the times when we're the "Away Team" are not as comfortable.  We don't hear the encouraging cheers from the crowd, but rather we hear the jeers and the criticisms . 

Don't you much more enjoy being around the home crowd? 

I know that I do!  I don't like the feeling of knowing that there are people around me who don't like me or are hoping that I fail at whatever I'm doing.

Being around the people who are like me and who rally around the same causes as I do is so much more ejoyable.  Being around people who aren't like me is just . . .  hard.

Well, we can settle for the easy life, or we can live the life that Christ has called us to live.  Many of us have gotten too comfortable in our lives by choosing to only surround ourselves with people who are like us. The real test of the depth of your faith is when you're the "Away Team".

Christ knew all about playing for the "Away Team".  Just about everywhere He and his disciples went He encountered people who despised everything He stood for.  After the calling of the disciples, He gathered seventy more people and sent them out two by two ahead of Him into the cities that He was going to be traveling through.  But Jesus warned them.  He told them that some of the people they would come in contact with would try to devour them, just as a pack of wolves would devour a lamb.

When we are trying to live a life that mirrors Christ's example, we're going to have to place ourselves in some locations that make us feel uncomfortable.  We're going to come in contact with people who despise everything we stand for. 

We can't think that we're going to win a lost world for Christ by sitting in the comforts of our church pew or our close knit group of believers.  They already know Christ!  We have to take Him to the people who might reject us, offend us, or mistreat us.  Those people don't know Christ!

So, let me ask you a few questions.

• Have you gotten out of your comfort zone lately and played for the "Away Team"?
• Have you taken any chances for the sake of Christ by putting yourself in a vulnerable location around people who might attack the cause which you represent?
• Is the safety of the home crowd at church causing you to forfeit the calling that each of us have on our lives to go and tell -- wherever your Judea and Samaria might be?

Playing on Christ's team is no different than playing on any of the teams in the NCAA.  Every team HAS to play at home and away.  The basketball players don't get the luxury of sitting out all of the games that require them to go to difficult venues.

You and I don't get that luxury either.