~Appreciate Your Spouse~Buoyancy in Marriage~Consult Your Partner~
~Dream Together Part One ~Dream Together Part Two~Empower Your Spouse~
~Have Fun With Your Spouse~Give to One Another~Honor Each Other~
~Be Intentional~Jubilee~Kingdom Focused~Listen~~Mentor Relationships~
~Nourish~Own It~Pray With Each Other~Quick to Listen~Read Together~Selfless~
Teamwork
1+1 is … – Matt’s Thoughts
I absolutely love teamwork. I loathed my chores when I was young: folding laundry, doing the dishes, dusting, vacuuming, cleaning the sinks and toilets. I couldn’t do these activities while playing Atari or eating a Scooby snack with “Raggy.” Then my sister and I figured out synergy. Well, we didn’t know the word synergy or its definition – a mutually advantageous conjunction – at ages 11 and 12 but we found out that we could get our chores finished quicker if we worked together. The teamwork routine was that we put off our chores until 30 minutes before mom would be getting home and first we’d frantically do the chores that had to be completed going solo. Then we’d holler from another room, “Ready to do teamwork?” Then, it was almost fun as we accomplished more in a few minutes than we could have by ourselves in twice the amount of time. The flurry of joint activity would complete just as mom drove up and after a high five we could act like our chores had been finished hours ago.
What if in marriage we could “do teamwork”? The Teacher says in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
Man’s math is 1+1=2; God’s math is 1+1 > 2
In a healthy marriage because of God’s grace two individuals united accomplish more than the sum of its parts. To sum up and confuse more, God makes the two become one (1+1=1) and yet the two are greater than two (1+1 > 2).
The Negative Equation – Laura’s Thoughts
God’s math works every time. When a couple is on the same page and selflessly working together, they can accomplish so much more for God’s kingdom than they can accomplish as individuals.
But I’d also like to throw in another math equation. In a marriage, if both spouses aren’t working together in a selfless way and are instead tearing each other down, 1+1 can actually be less than one.
Since that equation doesn’t match up with God’s math, I guess we’d need to say that 1+1 < 1 would be the math of the Enemy. Satan would love to see you and your spouse destroy each other so that not only are you no longer effectively pursuing God’s kingdom as a strong Christian couple, you aren’t even productive as an individual.
Which equation are you going to choose? Are you going to pursue teamwork, which in effect produces much for the Kingdom; or are you going to live for yourself and treat your spouse in a way that chips away at their productivity?
If your spouse isn’t building you up, don’t let that give you an excuse for being less productive. And if you are the spouse that needs to step it up and become more of a team player, consider yourself kicked in the pants.
Be what God calls you to be. Anything less just simply doesn’t add up.
Ladies, we know you’re reading here more often than the guys. ;) We’d love husbands to read this article as well. If you feel so inclined please send the link to your husbands, or if it’s easier, we’ve created a downloadable article for you to quickly print off and share. Healthy Marriage Tips A to Z – Teamwork
Brooke says
Amen!
Faith says
as always, great post! Thanks so much, you are right! Gods math is not like ours. I’m praying that I can be an encourager to my husband and help him!
Amanda says
My father in law has actually written a marriage book called 1+1=ONE: Marriage greater than the sum of it’s parts. http://www.1plus1equalsone.com/
What a great reminder that when I indulge my selfishness I sacrifice not just MY productivity, but I jeopardize our whole ministry. I was coming to your web-sight for a pumpkin muffin recipe and I came away with a treasure. Thanks!
Laura says
Thanks for the info/website. Sounds like you married into a great family!
Matt
edith says
i like the math equations. but may i provide another “take” on the passage Matt quoted. i’ve always thought that the reason God talks about the benefits of “two” and then says that a cord of three strands cannot be broken is that where two agree, He is in the midst – and God is therefore the third strand in the cord. and if God is with us, who can be against us?