Carrying Burdens: What it Means to Serve on a Team

I wanted to take an opportunity to just give glory to God for the team He has placed me on. Part of the reason I still work overseas is because of the community I have. In my time out of the country, G has used a particular group of people to smooth off my rough edges, convict me of sin, encourage me, comfort me, and grow me in unimaginable ways. These people are much more than friends. They are my family. When I came overseas, I gained brothers and sisters. I even gained a set of surrogate parents. They just happen to be only a few years older than me, but they care for me and give me advice.

         I never knew what it was to be vulnerable and honest with people until I moved overseas. I have a few friends in the States who I am completely honest with. But the level of honesty in our group is as encouraging as it is challenging. Challenging because being vulnerable is terrifying and uncomfortable. Challenging because being honest means confronting people when we are hurt or when we see a problem we don’t see.

         I love our honesty and I love the fun we have together, but the best part of being on a team is knowing people have your back. Now, I want to emphasize the point that we are to rely on Christ. However, God puts people in our lives to help us and to carry our burdens. We can do that successfully because we trust Him to help us do that.

         Let me illustrate this point. We have been planning an outreach for a few weeks now. Two of my teammates and I are working together on this. First, one of our teammates thought she couldn’t make it because of another commitment, so we stepped in prepared to lead if need be. Fortunately, she was able to get out of the other commitment. That was a great picture of supporting each other. But the real picture came in when I needed support. For this event, I was the host. However, last night, I broke my temporary crown off. It’s no big deal and apparently it happens all the time, but I was a little traumatized. When I thought I would be making an emergency trip to the dentist this morning, my teammate stepped in to volunteer to host instead. When it turned out that I didn’t have to go to the dentist, but I was just tired from the whole ordeal, she still volunteered to host. No questions asked. No making me feel guilty or telling me I owed her.

         “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Serving on a team with people who have your back (and you have theirs) really is a sweet, sweet part of living overseas.