Topics: Community; Competition; Individualism; Spiritual Gifts; Teamwork
References: 1 Corinthians 12:12–31; Ephesians 4:1–13
Jenny Thompson has won ten Olympic medals in swimming, eight of which are gold. However, she didn’t win any of the golds in individual events; she won them in team events with three other swimmers.
As a result, some people have questioned whether Jenny’s swimming accomplishments ought to rank her with the “great” Olympic champions. She asks that herself. “It’s got to be very different to experience an individual gold versus a team gold,” she says.
I find Jenny’s accomplishments in the ego-driven United States culture refreshing. With ballplayers moving from team to team, demonstrating little team loyalty, Jenny is a marvelous example of someone whose genuine success came in the context of team play.
This is how the church should work. Our true “stardom” occurs when we participate as part of a winning team. On God’s team, there is no room for superstars or mega-celebrities who do it on their own.
—Jon Mutchler, “Jenny Thompson’s Gold-Medal Teamwork,” PreachingToday.com