Chosen For The Team

linking with Five Minute Friday at katemotaung.com
Write for five minutes on a given prompt, which today is “team”

Before we start, if you’ve been a regular visitor here and haven’t read Monday’s post yet, you might want to do that first, otherwise it will all get a bit confusing.  Thank you to all of you who have visited the post for your encouraging comments.  And if you’re new here, hello and welcome!

I remember those days in PE class, lining up along the edge of the hall, waiting as captains were selected and then took it in turns to choose members for their team. You could predict quite easily who was going to be chosen first- the sporty people and the popular people- but as the line grew shorter and shorter you could sense the anxiety levels rising.  No-one wanted to be the last one to be chosen- to feel that they hadn’t really been chosen at all, but allocated to a team by default because there was no-one else left to choose.

I never ended up in that position, though sometimes I wasn’t too far off it, but the fear was there, and I felt sorry for those who did, especially when it was the same people time and time again.  When I got to choose the team, I’d choose my friends first, regardless of their sporting ability, then a couple of the good players, but then I’d try to choose some of the ones who were always last, just so they wouldn’t feel left out, so they would feel for once that they had actually been chosen.

I like how Jesus chose his team.  He didn’t go for the obvious choices.  He didn’t select his team based on their intelligence or their abilities or their popularity.

He chose ordinary people- fishermen, tax collectors, people who were overlooked by others, people with a past, people who doubted and questioned and argued, people who didn’t have it all together, but who were willing to follow him.

That’s all he looks for- willingness to follow.  He calls us all to join his team and play our part in his work.

You are chosen, and I am chosen.  Sometimes we might doubt that or wonder why.  We might feel we have nothing to offer.  Sometimes we might look at those on the team around us and question why they’ve been chosen.  It’s not always be easy to work as a team.

But we are a team and each of us is chosen.  No-one is last with Jesus.  He calls us all to come and follow, each of us have different things to offer, and when we work together as a team, that brings glory to him and can have a great impact on others.