A recent TV news report about the football team at McCombs High School in northern Ohio caught my attention—and my heart—with its inspiring lessons for us all.

The manager of the team was a young man born legally blind. Able to see only shadows, he was faithful to do what a good manager does—filling water bottles, getting equipment ready and doing whatever else was needed to be sure the team was ready to play the game.

As the coach saw him grow physically, he began to talk with the young man about getting into uniform and actually going out onto the field. Finally, one Friday night the coach said, "It's your time." The student went in at nose guard and helped set the table for a touchdown.

When the team got within a yard of the goal line, the captain said, "Coach, why don't you send him in as quarterback and let him make the touchdown?" The coach sent the manager in, and with a good push from his teammates when the ball was snapped, he made a touchdown!

On the surface there seemed to be no way this young man could play football, let alone make a touchdown. He was content being a part of the team and helping them get ready to play the game. But the coach and his teammates saw that he had more to give and that, with everyone playing together in a team effort, he could actually get on the field and play.

As I watched, I realized that as store managers we are the coaches, and our volunteers and paid staff are our teams. And I recognized that what this coach and team had done was straight out of the Scriptures.

The first thing I saw was caring. The team obviously cared for this young man and wanted him to feel a part of what they were doing. Jesus told us to love one another (John 13:34, John 15:17), to care for each other. And that is what I saw this team doing. In 1 Thess. 5:14, Paul admonishes us to "encourage the timid, help the weak."

Do you see that in your team? Do the members pray for each other, encourage each other-and as the manager, do you set the example? Jesus was our example as he cared for the disciples and prayed for those the Father had given Him (John 17: 9).

The second lesson I saw was about unselfishness. One of my favorite scriptures is Phil. 2:3-4. As I watched the interview with various team members, I saw that each of them was not so concerned with his own notoriety on the team, but unselfishly thought more of this young man than they did of themselves, just as God′s Word commands us.

Leading our team to work together, to not compete for position or prominence or to criticize or judge each other, should be the goal of a good manager.

Thirdly, as the team worked to include this young man, they did not lose sight of their goals. They just got creative in how they reached them. They knew they wanted to get a touchdown and ultimately to win the game, but they wanted to include their manager.

We always need to be open to new ideas from our team members. Sometimes doing the same thing the same old way is not the best way. We need to encourage creativity from those who work with us to keep our stores fresh and relevant to the church.

And finally, the team kept its eye on the prize. Paul encouraged us to forget that which is behind and strain toward that which is ahead, in Phil. 3:13.

As managers, we should know what the ultimate goal—or mission—of our store is and never lose sight of it. But in order to carry out the mission of our store, we need a team that is loving, unselfish and creative. And together you can "press on to win the prize for which God has called" each of us.

If you want to be inspired by the same report I saw, you will find it here: http://www.parentdish.com/2009/10/19/blind-teen-scores-touchdown/2

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