While watching sports at any level, we have all seen the athlete who seeks personal glory over team honors. They hog the ball and take all the shots without regard for the success of the team. When they score, they begin a well choreographed act that brings attention to themselves and ignores the well-played contributions of other team members. Any success that these teams may achieve is generally short lived, as team morale sinks over time.
God designed us to function differently as members of a team, family, and church. I Corinthians 12:24-26 says, “But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.”
In these verses God is using the analogy of the human body to describe how teams/families/churches should function. Every member of the human body is important and needs the other parts of the body to help it function properly. In the same way we need the other members of our teams/families/churches to work together. We are at our best when we seek to honor and care for each other within the team. Then we increase our effectiveness and decrease division.
Reluctant Retiree 