Strength in Numbers
Okay, so I’m not above a little bit of name dropping. I had the privilege recently to attend an event where the guest speaker was retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal.
The retired four-star general served as Commander, U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A). Can you believe he is now a teaching at Yale University! During the evening, Gen. McChrystal delivered his famous speech, “Plywood Leadership: Lessons on Leadership from a Warrior, Statesman, and Scholar.” He spoke of the link between leadership and experience. The concept of plywood leadership was a fascinating analogy.
Gen. McChrystal described how plywood is made up of several layers of wood that, individually, are not very strong. However, when you combine several thin layers of timber, and you bond them together, the resulting product is flexible and very resistant to cracking and warping. He noted how plywood was even used to build their base in Afghanistan.
In a spiritual sense, God has given to each person a unique set of personality traits, talents and abilities. When a body of believers work together for Christ, there is much strength. We learn in Ecclesiastes 4:12:
“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
We were not created by God to live in isolation. He designed us to work together as a team to fulfill His great purposes. The next time you see someone at church who has vastly different abilities than you, instead of being critical or jealous, try to see how your abilities can mesh with their talents to bring honor and glory to God. There really is strength in numbers.
