Together in the same boat

"How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!”  Psalm 133:1

When she was in high school, my daughter-in-law had rowed on their Midwest champion crew team.  Not knowing a lot about the sport, I asked her what quality was most crucial for success in crew.  Was it strength?  Technique?  Timing?  Her response surprised me. “Trust,” she said, “Each person has to be able to trust in the commitment of everyone else in the boat.”

Applying every ounce of energy with precisely honed technique requires the assurance that each team member is doing likewise, and it is inspired by the knowledge that everyone else in the boat is counting on the same from us.  This is true in crew; it is true, also, in life.

When a brother or sister in Christ is called or gifted differently than we are, we can trust that God knows what he is doing and that he has a specific purpose for that believer.  We need not be discouraged from our shared task.  

When we see a flaw in another, we can trust that God sees it more clearly than we do and that sanctification is the Coach’s responsibility.  We need not be distracted from the race or our role in it.  

When we see more needs around us than we can possibly meet, we can trust God to recruit other teammates who are just as passionate and capable as we are, and better fitted to the need.  We need not be disheartened.

We cannot afford to be distracted from the race by our differences, our flaws or even our shortfalls.  Ours is to commit our all and to trust each other.

For God is developing each of us; he is coaching all of us. 

"[Love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."  1 Corinthians 13:7

[To see the daily reading, Psalm 133, click here.]