In a sports broadcast booth there are usually two types of announcers. One does the play-by-play and the other does the color. The play-by-play announcer tells us where we are in the game and then advances the game for us. The color announcer does just what it sounds like, they provide color and context to what is happening. Neither are easy jobs and demand the same knowledge but different sets of skills. On January 2nd, Monday Night’s Football game was cancelled an hour after what at the time looked to be the death of one of the players. I was watching the game and as the incident unfolded both of the announcers, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman (two of the best and most veteran announcers in the game today) were thrown out of their element and I believe after a point Aikman stopped speaking all together. There was no game to advance and no more color to add. It was hard to watch. It made me think about how we each play a role in our workplace and some of us are play-by-play advancers and others are people who only add color and context. Both are important and so is us knowing which we are and which we are not, so if we are ever in a situation where it’s so uncomfortable or unknown territory, we know how and when to respond.
In God’s Kingdom, I believe He wants us to be so well-versed and knowing of Him and He of us, that we can be both roles of play-by-play and color for Him. We are to be those who can tell His story and advance Him through our lives to others. And, we are to do so within the context and color of the world around us the situations we and others find ourselves in. We can’t do that effectively, especially with those whom we work, if we are not in tune with His will and what plays we are running for Him.
Reference: Luke 1:37 (New Living Translation)