There Is No "I" In Team
I recently signed my 7-year-old up for City League basketball. With that came the excitement of starting a new sport that he has shown so much interest in, but it also came with an email from the league asking parents if they would be willing to coach a team. “Reluctant" was the word that best describes how I was feeling about coaching a basketball team of 7 and 8-year-olds, but I agreed to help.
Quickly, I learned that the main thing ingrained in all of the kids was the desire to score. They, themselves, wanted to score. They wanted to be the one who made the basket, and they wanted to be the ones who the fans were cheering for. I did not have to teach them the desire to be in the spotlight.
The issue is that basketball is a team sport. It takes five players to win a game. Sure, one player may be better than the other, and he may be able to make some shots. But it would be impossible for one person to win on their own. Each player brings their own unique gifts and talents to the team; and when joint together into a cohesive team, everyone wins.
The Bible teaches us that the body of Christ is no different. We have all been molded and crafted by God, gifted with talents and abilities to fulfill one specific purpose, to bring Glory to God.
“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.
Before you were born I set you apart
and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5 NLT
The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 NLT
We say it all the time at Opendoor. In fact, it’s one of our core values: “We are better together.” It may seem like that is just a statement or something we believe, but the reality is that it is a principle from Scripture. But do we believe it? Just like my son’s basketball team, we all have a tendency to want to do it alone, to be the one who makes the shot and gets all the glory. But when we look up, see, and value the other team members, we can lean into their strengths, and we can all “win” in advancing the Kingdom of God.
JOURNAL: Be honest with yourself and write out the times you have done things on your own and remember how things turned out.
Who are the “teammates” God has given you to do this life with? Friends, Family, Mentors, etc.
PRAY: Take time and thank God for the people who lift you up in this life and ask Him to show you this week how you can lift them up.
Quickly, I learned that the main thing ingrained in all of the kids was the desire to score. They, themselves, wanted to score. They wanted to be the one who made the basket, and they wanted to be the ones who the fans were cheering for. I did not have to teach them the desire to be in the spotlight.
The issue is that basketball is a team sport. It takes five players to win a game. Sure, one player may be better than the other, and he may be able to make some shots. But it would be impossible for one person to win on their own. Each player brings their own unique gifts and talents to the team; and when joint together into a cohesive team, everyone wins.
The Bible teaches us that the body of Christ is no different. We have all been molded and crafted by God, gifted with talents and abilities to fulfill one specific purpose, to bring Glory to God.
“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.
Before you were born I set you apart
and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5 NLT
The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 NLT
We say it all the time at Opendoor. In fact, it’s one of our core values: “We are better together.” It may seem like that is just a statement or something we believe, but the reality is that it is a principle from Scripture. But do we believe it? Just like my son’s basketball team, we all have a tendency to want to do it alone, to be the one who makes the shot and gets all the glory. But when we look up, see, and value the other team members, we can lean into their strengths, and we can all “win” in advancing the Kingdom of God.
JOURNAL: Be honest with yourself and write out the times you have done things on your own and remember how things turned out.
Who are the “teammates” God has given you to do this life with? Friends, Family, Mentors, etc.
PRAY: Take time and thank God for the people who lift you up in this life and ask Him to show you this week how you can lift them up.
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3 Comments
So good Jake!
Love this!
Main point- We are all better TOGETHER!