Too Many Quarterbacks
By
Lexi Cole Ellis
“As each has
received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's
varied grace.”
1
Peter 4:10 (ESV)
Recently, while
supervising recess, my sixth grade boys began playing tag football. “I’m Aaron
Rogers.” “I’m Tom Brady.” “I’m Brett Favre.” “I’m Peyton Manning.” All of a
sudden, there seemed to be five quarterbacks on each team. The kid holding the
football stood there, unsure who to hike the ball to. It eventually got solved
and the game started.
After recess, I said to
a couple of the boys, “It seemed there were too many quarterbacks.” One boy
stopped to think and said, “There shouldn’t be too many quarterbacks. It means
no one can play the game well.” Another chimed in that they should rotate each
recess to prevent the “too-many-quarterback-situation” again.
It made me realize we,
as Christians, often do the exact same thing.
We’ve been given this incredible privilege of representing Christ’s love
to a broken world and all believers play important roles… that don’t
necessarily look the same. I wonder if sometimes, though, we spend time telling
believers to all be quarterbacks…to go and do specific things a specific way.
While we are called to be intentional in our words and actions, the reality is
we don’t play the game well if there are too many quarterbacks. I think of the
believers who serve, empathize, encourage quietly, and pray diligently. These
roles are just as vital as the believers who preach, teach and exhort.
Additionally,
Kingdom-building is multi-faceted: There
are plenty of issues of injustice to be passionate about. Missions,
orphan/foster care, literacy, job sustainability, child sponsorship,
anti-trafficking, Bible translating, pastor appreciation, homelessness,
advocacy for the disenfranchised, equality for the oppressed…the list could go
on and on.
God has designed us
with specific talents and He inspires different passions. The work we as the
Church have to do is approached most effectively when each believer is using
his or her gifting and being an advocate for the issues of injustice that break
his or her heart. Whether loud or quiet, your strengths are an asset to the
Kingdom. Whether passionate about the orphaned, the homeless, the neglected,
the ignored, the hungry or the uneducated, God wants YOU to make a difference
for Him based on the specific issues you are drawn to. What is your gifting?
What issues are you passionate about? The Church isn’t a team exclusively of
quarterbacks…but it’s imperative to get in the game. You play an important
part! [1]
GOING DEEPER:
1.
Take some time to identify your giftings and your passions.
2.
What do you need to do (or start doing) to use these unique giftings and
passions for the Kingdom?
FURTHER READING:
[1] Need some pep music
on the subject? Listen to Matthew West’s song, “Do Something” by clicking here. It’s a great song
to start your day with!
Lexi
Ellis is married to Andrew, has a puppy named Calvin, and teaches sixth grade
at Silver Lake Intermediate School. She serves with Children’s Ministries and
is the Fresh Start Coordinator.
