Cooperate with Joy

I have been thinking recently about a delightful characteristic I have grown to appreciate in some people in this world.

I love it when people cooperate with joy.

This is my new catch phrase.

Cooperating with joy is not an easy thing to do. Our world is filled with people who want to do their own thing. Accountability is difficult. Submission to authority not so simple. Therefore, when someone in leadership or authority (or sometimes even a peer) asks you to cooperate with something that you're not 100% in favor of, there is a natural tendency to rebel, to question, to argue, to become defensive.

There are those who claim to be 'able' to cooperate with joy for the 'right' leader. They will respond positively to someone they respect, someone they can truly 'follow', someone who meets their needs. However, the cynical side of me asks, "Where is that leader?" and expects the answer, "Well, he does not exist." Therefore willing, joyful cooperation falls by the wayside.

This comes back to my question many blog entries ago about unity... Is authentic unity possible? I'm beginning to think that no, authentic unity is not possible. Why? Because there seem to be very few people in this world who freely choose to cooperate joyfully when the cooperation or the unity does not benefit them or does not come easily. Rebellion is much easier. After all, rebellion is human nature.

Don't believe me? Well, you need only meet my dear children to learn that cooperating with joy is difficult. I was sharing with my dear friend Mona today that I believe God is training me for leadership and deeper cultural understanding and analysis by giving me pre-schoolers. Most people see Clark and Claire as two sweet blond-haired, blue-eyed angels. Those who truly know them, however, know otherwise. They are pre-schoolers who want their own way. They will joyfully cooperate with mama and daddy if the cooperation benefits them. ("Want to have a bowl of ice cream with daddy?" Sure, they'll cooperate with that!)

But when cooperation requires sacrifice on their part or does not necessarily make them happy, their delightfully dimpled smiles immediately fade away. ("Claire, give the truck back to your brother." NO WAY! Not cooperating with that!) Rebellion is human nature. It's almost as if the children can't help it. However, pre-schoolers and adults are not all that different, I fear. Cooperation, unity and being a team player are difficult at best... maybe even impossible.

Therefore (!) when I meet someone or work with someone who willingly cooperates joyfully with the entire team, I am blessed beyond belief. Genuinely and joyfully putting the team and its leadership before self is very difficult. Maybe not something we can do without God's supernatural intervention. Definitely not something that comes without intentional effort and years of practice. Those who do it definitely deserve our praise :) It is often a sacrifice. It is usually not an act that receives accolades. Maybe this fresh-faced attitude will forever go unnoticed.

Perhaps we should as a society actually require that everyone play team sports as youngsters... and only those team sports where most of the players have a role to play that supports the greater team but may not provide personal, individually-based success (i.e., soccer, hockey, american football...) Any defensive specialist knows that no good offense exists without a stellar defense. Defensive players who play their positions to the fullest rarely receive frontpage headlines... but we all know that without their effort and good attitude the headliners would definitely not succeed (case in point: Oakland Raiders poor defensive line = two Monday Night Football shutouts!)

Well, the defensive linebackers -- aka those who submit with joy and play their role to the fullest -- will no longer go unnoticed with me. I shout hooray for those who cooperate with joy. Thank you for making my life easier. Thank you for taking one (and giving of yourself!) for the team.

~lk