Teaming up with God

I read a very interesting book. Beside the fact that one of my colleagues had talked about it  and my husband talked me into reading it, the comment from James H. Amos Jr about the book got me reading it.

He said it is: "A gripping analysis of what makes teams work effectively. This fine work is a must-read for any leader that has to come to grips with the fact that no one makes progress - much less succeeds - alone."  

The last part of his comment resonated with me:

No one makes progress - much less succeeds - alone.

We must need someone else to help us progress and of course succeed. Even if you claim to be a loner, without God you can only go so far. The 5 dysfunctions mentioned in the book even apply to our relationship with God...please come with me as we discuss them in detail:

1. Absence of Trust.

A lot of us say with our mouths that we trust God but our own actions "say" the opposite. How can you expect God to work with you for you if you do not truly and totally trust Him?

2. Fear of Conflict.

The other thing is some of us prefer to please men than obey God - we fear conflict with men. John 12:42-43 gives us examples of such people - one thing is sure, pleasing man instead of pleasing God leads to pressure in life. You're always better off "conflicting" with man in order to conquer with God - when you do, God will make your enemies be at peace with you.

3. Lack of Committment.

Some of us want God to be totally committed to us and want to be committed to Him only when it is convenient. In any team relationship, committment must be reciprocal.

4. Avoidance of Accountability.

Transposing this to teaming up with God is tricky...so please bear with me as I try. Accountability is about taking a step beyond committment. It is one thing to "say" you're committed to God and to doing things God's way and then turn around to blame everybody else including God if things don't turn out the way you expected. Accountability is about taking responsibility for the way things turn out and being willing to make sure we learn from successes and failures alike.

5. Inattention to Results.

This dysfunction shows up in our lack of gratitude. Some of us spend more time and attention on the things that we are expecting from God rather than paying attention to God's results and blessings in our lives. 

For those who have read the book you may be wondering where all this is coming from - so did I. This is my interpretation on how I can guard against having a dysfunctional relationship with God because I tried to infer what these meant between God and I. For those who haven't read the book, I highly recommend that you do - it's an enjoyable book to read; of course applying what you learn is a different kettle of fish but very possible once you identify the root causes for dysfunctions. It gives you a good platform to assess and  improve your relationship with God so you are really teaming up with Him next year...

... and for the rest of your life.