A team effort

Do you sometimes think that you can or need to do it all alone, so you keep going until you crash?

Do you feel there is so much to do and so little time?  Then love yourself and share the work load!

I will be honest, as I write this; I smile to myself, because it is so much easier said than done, isn’t it?

I don’t know if this happens to everyone, but for me delegating is hard!  I know I should, I know I need to, I know it is the right thing to do, but…  

Sometimes we want to do so much, we have great intentions, we may even be working on the mission God has placed on our heart but we are doing it all alone and as we read the Bible it doesn’t take us long to realize that God is interested in us being a community, in depending on each other.

We read in 1 Corinthians 12:12; 18 “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up only one body.  So it is with the body of Christ….  God made our bodies with many parts, and he has put each part just where he wants it.”  This applies to our life, we are supposed to depend on others; we are connected.

 “Who is Apollos, and who is Paul, that we should be the cause of such quarrels? Why, we’re only servants… Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. My job was to plant the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God, not we, who made it grow.  The ones who do the planting or watering aren’t important, but God is important because he is the one who makes the seed grow.  The one who plants and the one who waters work as a team with the same purpose.  Then they will be rewarded individually, according to their own hard work.  We work together as partners who belong to God. ” (1 Corinthians 3:5-9)

I wonder why we don’t like to delegate or share our work?  Could a little bit of pride be hidden deep inside our motive? Could there be some fear that others will not be able to do things as well as us or maybe we are afraid they could do them better than us? Or simply we just don’t want to “bother” anyone, but then again that takes us back to pride, can we really be self-sufficient?

We all have talents and abilities which we should use, interact and maximize.  We can do more together than on our own.  Even Jesus shared the work load “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness.”  (Matthew 10:1)

In Exodus 18:14; 17 we read how Moses’ father in law, Jethro, gives him great advice as he sees people lining up for Moses to help them with their problems. “Why are you trying to do all this alone? The people have been standing here all day to get your help… you’re going to wear yourself out – and the people too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself.”  And I love Moses’ response; he “listened to his father-in law’s advice and followed his suggestions.” (Exodus 18:24) 

But it goes so much further than just getting some help so Moses could do a better job and the people could get help faster, so much happens spiritually when we work as a team.  In another occasion when Moses asked God to send help, God told him to get together seventy of the leaders of Israel “Bring them to the Tabernacle to stand there with you.  I will come down and talk to you there.  I will take some of the Spirit that is upon you, and I will put the Spirit upon them also.  They will bear the burden of the people along with you, so you will not have to carry it alone.’”(Numbers 11:16-17) God answered Moses plead by preparing people around him and sharing His blessings, His Spirit! So many times when we refuse to share our work load we could be denying others of blessings that God has prepared for them.  

God has big plans for each of us and He is not expecting us to carry the weight on our own.   He has already placed in our path the people who will cover us in prayer, the people who will share the ups and downs of the journey, and the people who will cry and laugh and celebrate each victory with us. This is a team effort and God is our leader.