A "Team" Effort

Colossians 1:29
To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.


Perhaps you have heard of Team Hoyt, perhaps not. They are Dick and Rick Hoyt, a father-and-son team that competes in marathons and triathlons together. The fact that they are father and son is not what is so remarkable, but rather the fact that the father does all the racing, while the son, who is severely disabled, basically just goes along for the ride. The father pushes him in a stroller, or straps him onto a special bike, or pulls him in a specially-made raft. It’s amazing - quite a beautiful thing to watch!

This is one of my favorite pictures of the two of them - carrying the Olympic Torch. I love how the father is carrying the torch while pushing the stroller, while the son holds out his hand, as though he is also carrying the torch. Obviously, there are so many parallels we could draw regarding their relationship and our relationship with our Heavenly Father, but the story this picture spoke to my heart was exceptional. This Father does not need to push the son - he chooses to push him, and provide the way that he can be a part of the moment. The son does his best to "carry" the torch, but in fact, it is the father carrying it for him. The son is not capable of doing any of it- the father must do it all, and yet he only does it for the son. It is his greatest desire that the son would be part of it, that his son can say that he also "carried" the Olympic Torch.

So it is with us as we labor for our Father. It is His energy and His power that does the work. He is the One doing it all, and yet, we get to go along with Him. We put our hand out in the effort of laboring with Him, and yet it is He who is carrying the burden all along. It is considered a "team" effort, when really, it is all Him. And I wonder, when I look at this picture, how much farther could God go, how much more could He accomplish without me holding Him back, slowing things down. Yet, just as Dick Hoyt would tell us, it is for the son that he is doing it at all. That is the joy. That is the beauty. That is why God would let us join Him. That is the miracle! I believe that is part of the reason He has chosen to work through us in this world. Not merely to get His work done, because He could do that alone. Rather, He does it to enjoy our company, sweet communion, in the midst of the work. I cannot fully comprehend how working with me could bring the God of this universe joy and pleasure. But it does, and for that I am deeply grateful. Isn’t He awesome?

If you want to check out Team Hoyt and see more pictures, you can find them at http://www.teamhoyt.com/