Recently, the soap dispenser that matches the faucet at our kitchen sink broke. A replacement was easily found, but the installation of it was quite another story. The difficulty arose from my trying to maneuver myself around the center post of the cabinet doors under the sink. After uncomfortable contortions and much frustration, we did complete the task, but it took a team effort by my husband and me.
Sometimes, what we think is going to be a simple task, might not be so easy at all. And it might require teamwork to accomplish. In this particular situation, a nut had to be secured from underneath the sink around the pipe that holds the dispenser in place. Simple? Sure. Easy? No, not really, because of the center-post obstacle. So it is with situations in life from time to time. Unexpected obstacles may hinder our accomplishments.
We may encounter situations in life that are downright hard or ones that should be simple but are not. How do we handle those situations? The best way is by teamwork!
You may be thinking, ‘I don’t need a team for everything I do’. Well, I guess that depends on who is on your team. First and foremost you should have God on your team. Think about it, if you owned a Major League Baseball team, wouldn’t you choose the strongest, smartest, most capable players to be on your team? Who is stronger, smarter or more capable than God? (NO ONE!) So why not recruit Him for your team? Wouldn’t God’s love and support make any task you do more palatable and successful?
God declares repeatedly in the Bible that He cares for us. His care is as infinite as His love – they go hand in hand. If God loves so much that He gave His only begotten son for us, and His love is demonstrated by His care, how great is that care?? Immeasurable! All of this is to say that God cares as much about the little things in our lives as He does about the big things.
Sometimes, we might feel like we shouldn’t bother God with our small inconveniences. Not so. God is our Father, and He cares about everything in our lives. I often compare our relationship with God to a parent and a newborn infant. A newborn is helpless and vulnerable, which stirs the most tender compassions in us. In addition, we recognize how limited a newborn’s abilities are compared to our own, so it’s easy to see that we are needed.
Like the great old hymn says, “Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not”, God is full of compassion, kindness and mercy. And I’m pretty sure that God recognizes the disparity between our abilities and His! He knows that we need Him. And He wants to take care of us. Our day by day lives are greatly enriched by including God on our team. No matter how grave or how insignificant our challenges might be, God is ready, willing and able to assist us in all of them.
Now, let’s consider another aspect of teamwork – being a teammate. Chances are that we have more than just God on our team. Our family, friends and fellow Christians are almost always on our team and willing to help and support us. But that also means that we should be on their teams. We cannot expect people to help and support us all the time and give nothing back. Our lives cannot be all taking and no giving. That is self-defeating. We should keep our eyes open for opportunities to be good teammates and lend a helping hand whenever possible. And when we do that, a wonderful thing happens – we receive back. This principle applies to more than just tithing. It works for all giving. Giving of ourselves, giving our energy, giving our time, our efforts, our support, our care and our love. We are never poorer for giving these things away, we are always richer because this is a Godly principle. Now don’t get me wrong, we do not give in order to receive, that would be selfish. We give freely from our hearts without requiring anything in return (no strings attached). That is true giving. And that opens the door for this principle to flourish in our lives.
Think about how you would want that baseball team of yours to perform. First, no egos getting in the way. Then the team should work together for its success. The team should follow the coach’s instructions. They all should participate using their best efforts. They should acknowledge each other’s strengths. And they should pay attention to each other so that they can be at the right place at the right time. That is the most advantageous way for teammates to act and that’s what we would want for our team, right? But stop and think… Is that the way we, ourselves act as teammates? If not, we may be missing out on opportunities to bless and be blessed.
So, teamwork in life basically boils down to relying on God, listening to His instructions, and loving one another. Let’s seek possibilities to be the bless-er instead of focusing on ourselves. There is no doubt that times occur when we need to be the bless-ee, but in between those times, why not look for every chance you can to be a stellar teammate? Trust God to take care of you, and as freely as He gives to you, give freely to others. I bet you’ll find that being the bless-er is even more fun than being the bless-ee! And we must never forget; “you and God make a majority”. So, even if He is the only one on your team, you still have a winning combination! It just takes teamwork!
Note to my readers: I’m so glad to have you on my team! Thanks for reading.