TEAM UNITY

Have you ever been a part of team? Maybe you were asked to join a church committee or perhaps you are a teacher, a member of the faculty. Athletes aren’t the only ones called to experience the team dynamic. The corporate arena is inundated with opportunities to work in unison with others with different skill sets toward a common goal. This is the intriguing part to me, the differences. One might hope those joined together to form a unit fulfilling a common interest might share similarities creating a cohesiveness from the start. Yet, it has been my experience this is seldom the case.

Think of it, a football team would hardly be effective with 11 running backs, not one good wide receiver or quarterback among them. The same principle holds true for a choir or band, teachers or corporate teams. We need the visionaries and the dreamers, the pragmatists and the realists, the listeners and the mouthpieces, the leaders and the followers, they all play a part. Separately, there may be discord in their setting, but brought together, particularly when there is a realization of the gifts they bring, a harmony can evolve.

The keys to experiencing this unity and balance is in knowing what you bring, knowing what you offer and what you do not. Recognizing your gifts as well as the gifts of others. Where yours end and theirs begin. Most of all, we must recognize all gifts are God given and to be used to glorify Him. When we serve God as a team, in this sense, we are acting as the church in the world, one body many members, each reliant on the other.

As my family and I were driving through the country, we came across a picturesque site. It was a rusty old shed, doubtfully used for anything anymore, barely standing next to the gnarliest yet distinguished old tree, not a leaf upon it. Covering the ground was the intimation that spring would soon arrive in a wide spreading patch of daffodils, their brilliant yellows spectacular against a backdrop of winter grays and rusted metal. Deep in the meadow these elements fixed themselves intertwining each other with a sense of belonging. Apart from one another, there was no story to tell, but together in harmonious splendor, they were a team, not detracting from the next, but adding to it.

The effervescent yellow blossoms, so positive and upbeat, with nary a clue how short lived her contribution would be to the team. The old shed no longer consulted for much, now a tremendous support for the vines which would cross through him, remnants of which still dangled beneath the roof. He was a battered and rusty spectacle, but his incredible support of the vines to come were only secondary to the crotchety old tree, hundreds of years old now leaning her heaviest branches on his rooftop, propping up the old girl. Her leaves would render her heavy calling many tiny creatures and birds to nest in her comfortable branches soon. They always make her feel useful and needed as well. She is so grateful for her team.

I am too. Each of us comes together with a bit of knee knocking, wondering what we bring. Soon we will realize there is something God has specifically woven in each of us, a fiber runs through our fabric. Like the vines run through the shed, we will be connected as one, knitted together into a single garment blanketing our Bosnian family. Like the picturesque scene in the country, we will be drawn to that which God will create. Not by the gifts of one, but by the gifts of the whole, woven as one . . . BJ's mercy, Leland's authenticity, Lynne's encouragement, Sandy's goodness, John's gentleness, Janet's devotion, Nancy's caring, Kathy's love . . . and so much more. More than we know at this point, maybe more than we'll ever know. And, that's okay.

This is our team. And, I love them. BJ, Leland, Lynne, Sandy, John, Janet, Nancy, & Me. Please pray for our unity, strength and endurance. Pray that we will grow our gifts, embrace our limitations, and surrender all to our Lord and Savior.

In One Peace,
Kathy

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ro 15:5-6