This summer I began working at a Catholic summer camp in western Montana. I grew up going to this camp and looking up to the counselors and always recognized something different about the way that they worked together. I was really inspired by the friendships they created and always hoped that I could be a part of that when I grew up.
Years after I first started going to camp I found myself on a counselor team similar to the ones I grew up admiring. In the first few days I have discovered what sets this type of team apart from other teams I have been on. This is a team centered in Christ and that has led to some major advantages in the ways we all work together. Below are four things I have come to love about being on a team that has its foundation in faith.
1. You can be authentically you.
There is something that comes with owning every part of your identity in a team situation especially when that means owning your faith life. So often spirituality is connected to values and all the other parts of our lives so when the team you are working on knows and values your spirituality you are granted a magnificent freedom to be yourself.
2. It's OK to be vulnerable.
When you achieve the freedom that comes with being yourself, your team is much more likely to embrace you when you are at your weakest and really help lift you up. When Christ is within your team a strong bond is formed in which you can really be vulnerable to one another and share both your strengths and weaknesses with one another. This vulnerability is what really helps create deep and trusting relationships.
3. Conflict can be taken to prayer.
When working on a team it is very common to run into conflict. In all of my experience with teams in many different settings I have never had an easier time resolving conflict than after I took it to prayer with the person I was struggling with. By inviting God into that conflict, you see the gifts in them and are able to mediate the conflict far more efficiently than when you don't take it to prayer.
4. Anything you do has a larger purpose.
When you are working on a Christ-centered team you are always working towards something bigger and better than yourself. With that humility and focus it is almost certain that anything you do will be greater than you could have imagined.
I really encourage you, if you ever have the chance, to bring God to your team as your unifying member because it will do wonders for the cohesiveness of your team. The relationships will be unlike any you have previously encountered and it will make working in teams a truly enjoyable experience.
