Articles
Solo Acts
A theme that we often see in the world is that “I can go it alone” and still do great things. In an age of soloists and superstars, rebels and loners, it is so tempting to believe that there is something to that lifestyle. Yet anybody who has lived long enough will eventually find that loners and superstars can never be better than the sum total of a team. These gifted solo acts fail to see the value of teamwork. “A study of horses revealed that a single horse could pull an average of 2,500 pounds. The test was repeated with two horses. You’d expect the weight pulled to double — to about 5,000 pounds. Not so. Two horses working together pulled 12,500 pounds. That’s five times the amount one could pull alone. There’s something inside a living being that rises to accomplish exponentially greater things when part of a team” (Do Hard Things, Alex and Brett Harris, p. 111). This has even more significance when we put it in the context of human teamwork. Solomon teaches, “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up… And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).
Obviously, there is a great spiritual application, as well. “Now flee youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22). What this means is:
1. We can be significantly more successful in resisting sin and growing spiritually if we pursue righteousness with others who share our faith. Being part of a team means seeking the same spiritual ends, and being able to depend on each other regardless of what the sin is. If our church is not a safe environment to facilitate real, open, honest spiritual comfort, then we have a problem.
2. Having a good Christian friend does not merely double my strength, it can multiply it!
3. In order to make it to heaven I must give up the “loner” attitude. This is not always easy, because the cost of alliance can sometimes seem pretty high. We have to give up some things in order to gain something. It may be very unattractive to an independent person to choose dependence on others. It may be decidedly unpleasant, at first, for a self-willed individual to put others first. In a team, we must consult each other, listen to one another, make adjustments and learn to trust. But anything we lose by giving up the “loner” pails in comparison to the long-term benefits the group has to offer.
“He who separates (isolates) himself seeks his own desire; he quarrels against all sound wisdom” (Proverbs 18:1).
