Thriving Together

<p>My husband Alan stood below the towering lights illuminating the athletic field, as a member of the opposing team hit a ball into the air. With his eyes fixed on the ball, Alan ran full speed toward the darkest corner of the field&mdash;and slammed into the chain link fence.</p> <p>Later that night, I handed him an ice pack. &ldquo;Are you feeling okay?&rdquo; I asked. He rubbed his shoulder. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d feel better if my buddies would have warned me that I was getting near the fence,&rdquo; he said.</p> <p>Teams function best when they work together. Alan&rsquo;s injury could have been avoided, if only one of his teammates would have yelled out a warning as he approached the fence.</p> <p>Scripture reminds us that members of the church are designed to work together and watch out for each other, like a team. The apostle Paul tells us that God cares about how we interact with each other, because the actions of one person can impact the whole community of believers (Col. 3:13&ndash;14). When we all embrace our opportunities to serve each other, fully devoted to unity and peace, the church flourishes (v. 15).</p> <p>Paul instructed his readers to &ldquo;let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit&rdquo; (v. 16). In this way we can inspire and protect one another through loving and honest relationships, obeying and praising God with grateful hearts&mdash;thriving together.</p>