YOUnique Purpose - Why Purpose?ಮಾದರಿ

Collaborate

You were created to collaborate!

Dr. Ben Carson, the renowned pediatric neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins University, became globally recognized for leading the first successful surgery to separate co-joined twins, Patrick and Benjamin Binder, in 1987. This operation was a prime example of the power of collaboration—it required a 70-member surgical team working for 22 hours straight. Every minute and every movement mattered; even the slightest mistake could have been disastrous for the twins.

On Labor Day 1987, the seven-month-old twins were prepped for the surgery that would change their lives. The surgical team worked meticulously, starting with heart surgeons who connected the twins to heart-lung machines. Plastic surgeons then carefully removed the bone tissue that connected their heads. Doctors cooled the twins’ body temperatures, stopping their hearts so the surgery could proceed without blood flow. A large clock in the operating room counted down the crucial minutes, with every second adding to the intensity of the operation.*

At the most critical moment, Dr. Carson severed the vein connecting the twins, and the surgical team quickly constructed new veins. One twin’s surgery was completed in 57 minutes, and the other in 63 minutes. The success of this complex procedure was not only a testament to Dr. Carson’s leadership but also the impeccable collaboration of the entire medical team. This is the true essence of collaboration: every team member working at their best to achieve something extraordinary. In life, as in this surgery, we were created to collaborate with others, especially in building God’s kingdom.

"For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many" - 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 (KJV)

"For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office. So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another." - Romans 12:4-5 (KJV)

"But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you." - 1 Corinthians 12:20-21 (KJV)

"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." - Proverbs 27:17 (KJV)

To collaborate means to co-labor or to labor together. Every person has something unique and special to offer—a combination of gifts, talents, passions, and strengths. We are called to recognize these gifts in ourselves and others, and to use them in harmony with those whose strengths complement ours.

"For the body is not one member, but many." - 1 Corinthians 12:14 (KJV)

This simple yet profound verse captures the essence of biblical collaboration. The body of Christ is a team, and it thrives when every individual plays their part well. Just like the organs in our body work together to keep us healthy, when we collaborate in our gifts and callings, the entire body of Christ functions at its best.

START to Collaborate

Co-Create

You were created to Co-Create!

“For we are labourers together with God.” - 1 Corinthians 3:9 (KJV)

Pastor, teacher, and author Martin Trench* once said, “One of the popular ideas is the thought that putting any human effort into anything is ‘not of God’ and ‘from the flesh,’ etc. A large number of Christians think that they aren’t supposed to DO anything with their lives – they just wait around until God does something with their lives for them. But you know what, the Bible does not teach anything even remotely close to that. It never says, ‘When you die, God will have to give an account to you about what He did with your life.’ But it does say that YOU will be required to give an account to God about what YOU have done with YOUR life… this suggests that YOU are supposed to DO something, and not just sit around waiting for God to do something for you.”

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” - 2 Corinthians 5:10 (KJV)

In an article on the Acton Institute Power Blog, Joseph Sunde* echoed this truth:

“God doesn’t just infuse our work with meaning and then sit back on His throne to observe. He goes along with us — co-creating and co-laboring in constant and continuous partnership. Indeed, we work and create because we were made in the image of a Worker and a Creator.”

This profound insight reminds us that we are not merely spectators of God's work. We are partners with Him, invited to co-labor and co-create in shaping the world and fulfilling His purposes. God is actively involved with us as we step into our gifts and live out our YOUnique Purpose.

START to Co-Create!