Group Work

When I was in school there was one statement I dreaded hearing my teachers say: “This assignment will be done in groups.”

Oh. No. I would rather sit outside in freezing rain eating dirt with a plastic spork while chickens pecked at my eyeballs than do a project in groups. Oh the suffering I was going to have to endure! Why in the WORLD did they think this could possibly be a good idea!?

Now, I realize a lot of people liked group work. Ideally, it meant less work for each individual person. Notice I said “ideally”. When I heard the words “group work” I was far from optimistic. Group work inevitably meant that either I would have to do everything myself, leaving me tired and frustrated, or another group member was going to decide their ideas were better and take over completely, leaving me in the dust. I didn’t like being frustrated and dust is gross. So, naturally, neither sounded like a good option to me. You see, I was under the impression (and I don’t believe I am alone in this) that I was the one that had to have the good ideas. When I had good ideas, I assumed that my plans were best and I was going to fight for them or refuse to take any ownership of the project at all. When I didn’t have good ideas, I felt like a failure and a disappointment. Becoming a part of another person’s good idea and working hard for it didn’t even seem like an option. Group work meant either having full control or being completely useless, and I hated both.

Bear with me and switch gears for a second. Currently I am reading a book called 66 Love Letters by Dr. Larry Crabb. Essentially, the book is comprised of 66 chapters that coincide with each book of the Bible and talk about each as a love letter from God to man. He writes the book like a dialogue between himself and God; asking questions and writing the answers he feels God is speaking to him, fitting each book into the bigger picture of God's plan for us and the world. Also, when I say I am reading this book, what I mean is that I am reading it in conjunction with reading the Bible from cover to cover, so I am reading it very slowly. So slowly I am pretty sure I just got lapped by a snail eating molasses. However, I am excited to read it like this, even if it takes months to finish. I am telling you all this because I just finished reading Genesis and Dr. Crabb’s first chapter of his book (I wasn’t kidding about being a slow reader…) and he said something that sparked all of this jumble going on in my brain. In a section written from God’s perspective, Crabb writes, “Once again, things were a mess. Everyone was living to succeed , to make their lives comfortable and fulfilling. No one was paying attention to My design for the truly good life.”

After reading this line I immediately thought about all the times I’d felt like that before—no one paying attention to my (what I assumed were) good ideas. This was instantly humbling. Who am I to think I have all the good ideas in the world? Why should anyone listen to me? And I most definitely fit into that group of people that ignore His plans so often, so who am I to complain about not being heard? If I were to count the times I have lived trying to succeed, making my life comfortable, and ignored God’s design for life I am fairly certain I’d be appalled. As it is right now I am pretty humbled by this thought. You see, now that I think about it, it makes sense that I dreaded group work; that I neither wanted to have full control, nor wanted to be useless—I wasn’t created for either.

Looking back, I think I missed a crucial lesson that group work was supposed to teach me—everyone fills different roles. There should be a leader that steps up to take charge. There should be people willing to work to accomplish the goal of the group even when the ideas are not their own. And, ideally, the goals of the group (no matter whose initial idea) should eventually be adopted by each member as their own goals. We have been raised in a culture that tells us to fight for ourselves and be independent, but we forget that we are a part of a larger group. We forget the bigger picture. We believe the lie that we either need to succeed at being the leader or have no part in it at all.

But here’s the thing I am realizing, I was not meant to be the leader, nor was I meant to be a useless piece of baggage attached to the back of the train. As a product of this culture I have been told to do whatever makes me happy. As a Christian, I see that it’s not really about me at all. And that is so relieving. I was made to obediently follow a Leader and to adopt His plans as my own, with passion. I am a small part of the body of Christ and He is our leader.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” [Hebrews 12:1]

His love fills us with passion (we run with perseverance) and the desire to see His will come to fruition. By His grace, we get to fight for His Kingdom in this world. We were not made to be God, nor were we made to be useless. We are not meant to be in control (the race is marked out for us), but we were made with purpose. We are humble servants made out of abundant love that get to be a part of His larger story. This is what “group work” means for a Christian. This is the power of Christ—that we can fight fiercely for the goals and plans of another, for the glory of our King.

“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.” [Ephesians 1:11-12]