Part of me is an eternal optimist. The other half will forever be pessimistic. I am constantly thinking people don’t like me or that I don’t measure up in their eyes. This attitude could be seen as low self-confidence, but it’s also pessimism. This attitude has spilled over into the perception I thought others had about my team.

The 2006 New Zealand FYM team is quite different. We’ve been different right from the beginning. On day one, we clicked—we had a bond that was unbreakable, even though that’s not what makes us different. My pessimism/low self-confidence tainted my vision of my team and how I thought others were perceiving us. I thought for sure that everyone thought we weren’t as good as past teams—that we didn’t have the initiative and drive other teams had. But I was wrong.

Trena, our base leader, came to us this morning and told us that we as a team have ministered to her. She went on to explain that she had some hurts that we’ve helped heal with our willingness to serve her and Dave and our abundance of love to share. This admission made her cry and brought tears to my eyes as I realized how I have underestimated my team.

Although there may be some characteristics we as a team lack, we also have an abundance of characteristics that others may be missing out on. But that’s why we’re here. We’re made to be a body—THE Body of Christ. In areas others may be weak, God has shown us how to be strong so we can help and edify our peers. We are ONE unit—one body. We each have our separate parts and functions, but it’s when we work together that things start happening. It’s when we’re using our strengths to fulfil a purpose.  That's when we make Christ alive to the world.