Usually when I hear something more than once in a day, there is a lesson in it. I read a devotion yesterday about how animals are yoked together, a weaker one with a stronger one, so the stronger one can pull the weaker one along. Then, as my sister and I were reflecting on watching my oldest nephews’ teammates play basketball, we talked about how some of the guys just do not seem to understand teamwork. And last night, when I was on a radio show for NFLFemale, the burning question of the night was about whether individual players should pursue personal records or try to stay healthy for the team’s playoff run. So, all of that led me to really think about working as a team.
I, though not always of my own choice, am somewhat of a loner. I despise group work or group projects because many times I feel like other people get in the way. I like to be in charge, okay let’s just call it what it is, I am bossy. So, in order to not subject too many people to my bossy nature, I prefer to do things on my own. At my job, I am the only person who teaches my subjects, so while everyone else has to work with a team, I am a “unicorn;” the other unicorns and I get together, but work on our own planning and projects. Sometimes I think I have gotten way too comfortable with being by myself because I have to force myself not to opt for solitude and interact with other people. But, there was a time when I needed to be surrounded by people to feel whole, so I am grateful that I have moved away from that. As much as I sometimes think the world would be a better place if there were a bunch of me running around, that is clearly not how God intended for His children to be. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul says, “A body isn’t just a single part blown up into something huge. It’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together” (The Message translation). No matter how awesome we believe we are at certain tasks, we were all meant to work together. We are blessed with strengths in some areas, not to brag or boast to others or to show off, but to help those who not as gifted in those areas. Likewise, there are areas in our lives in which we are weak and we need someone else to help us along. Going back to the basketball game, not everyone is talented at ball handling, so usually you have two guards who can handle the ball, one to orchestrate the offense and one to shoot from the outside areas of the court. You have forwards and a center who might not be able to dribble as well as others, but can defend the hoop, rebound or set picks to give the other players more room to operate. But, if one player decides that he is never giving up the ball, it makes the defense’s job really easy. They know they can just pressure that one player and create a turnover. Now, you might get a few plays where it works to have one player take the ball all the way up the court, drive to the hoop and score, but more often than not, players need their teammates to be successful in an entire game. I have to check myself because it is very hard for me to ask for or receive help. I do not like to delegate, and when I do, it is only to those I am pretty confident will do things just like I would. That can cause me to be a lot more stressed out than I have to be in high pressure situations. It might not affect us as much on a few projects, but over a lifetime, it can make this life a lot harder than it has to be. God is so merciful and He did not place us in the world to do life alone. First of all, He gave us Him, in the manner of the Holy Spirit, to lead and to guide us into all truth. We often try to figure things out on our own, but God did not take Jesus and leave us with no answers. If you belong to Him, He is there to answer every question, every moment of every day if you listen. God also surrounds us with people who can do what we cannot do and people who need the skills we possess. Sometimes, we are so focused on being independent (so that we don’t have to share credit) that we forget teamwork makes the dream work. Be a team player. Allow others to share their strengths with you. Share your strengths with others. That is they way that God meant for us to work together and build His Kingdom. Ms. EV
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