I read a Mother Teresa quote to my basketball team the other day before our game. She said this, “I can do what you can’t do, and you can do what I can’t do. Together we can do more.” I thought it made for a great pre-game quote on teamwork. However, the following morning it took on new meaning while I was at practice.
The team was doing foul shooting, and I was at a basket with 2 of my athletes, making my rounds, helping each group as they shot. Out in the hallway, 4 kids walked by. They were dressed in black from head to toe. They had baggy pants on. Chains too. Did I mention they had all black on? I was standing in front of the foul line, rebounding a shot when they walked by. I think they were at the school for stage crew. The play is coming up soon. It hit me like a ton of bricks: I’ll never reach those kids. Reality came crashing in on me at that very moment. My sphere of influence is so limited. I’m strictly limited to athletes and a few of their select friends. I coach sports so that’s the group I reach. But what about the musicians? What about the stage and lighting crew? What about the artistic kids? What about the ones who go home every day after school? What about them??? Who’s gonna connect with, and reach them?
I have a good handle on the athletic world at my school. But there are just so many more students. So, so many more than the select few I have involvement with. What about them???
At that moment, the words of Mother Teresa, the words I had just quoted the night before, came back to my memory. “I can do what you can’t do, and you can do what I can’t do. Together we can do more.”
And there I was at 9am on a Saturday morning in a high school gym, being reminded that I can’t do youth ministry alone. I need others. I don’t have any leverage with the musicians, techies, Goths or artists. But someone out there does. Someone else speaks their language (which I must admit is pretty foreign to me).
“I can do what you can’t do, and you can do what I can’t do. Together we can do more.” That simple quote from Mother Teresa speaks volumes not only to my world of youth pastoring, but to all of our lives, no matter what we do. The body of Christ needs each other. Touching the lives of those in our community is not an impossible task. By ourselves it surely is, but we weren’t called to go it alone. We need each other. Together we can.