Have you ever heard of Power Soccer?  Having just started learning and participating in this sport about a year ago, it involves maneuvering an electric wheelchair with a metal guard attached to the front.  Steering one’s self around a gym floor, the player pushes a bigger than average soccer ball with his or her guard to hopefully hit it between two posts.  With four teammates on the floor at once from each team, this sport strongly encourages the participants to work together by making quick, coordinated movements in order to maintain control of the ball.  I have begun understanding the proper movements and tactics in handling the ball through practicing on a weekly basis as well as spending hours in tournaments with my teammates.  The common phrase “practice, practice, practice” proves very true in this team-building setting.

As I have reflected on this new-found hobby, I have discovered that the movement in Power Soccer corresponds to the “movement” we provide in patient and even family care.  First of all, we all have assigned roles that offer direct or indirect care to the patients and families here in our health system.  In order to enhance the support that we provide them, we must spend many hours in defining and executing our various tasks in an organized fashion.  Martha Graham, an American performer, instructor, and choreographer of modern dance, defines “practice” as a “means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire. Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired.”  Thus, we must continue “practicing” our roles in order to strive for the smooth but effective rendering of care we desire for the community.

Secondly, like with Power Soccer, one individual cannot remain in sole control over a patient’s care; it demands a multidisciplinary approach that implements a variety of skills and abilities to explore and address all the needs of the patient as well as the family.  Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!”  Thus, without the backing of each other, we could not sustain the services in a timely, coordinated team approach delivered to the multitude of people that come through our doors.

So, where do you need to polish your skills in your assigned role in this health system?  In what ways can you have a greater effect on the team as one of the service providers?  Even though it is neither Power Soccer nor any sport for that matter, may we consciously and continuously acknowledge the Lord who guides us in our practices as a healthcare team with His Almighty Power!