My sons are both pilots in the U.S. Air Force. I have visited many of the bases where they have served. One day, I toured a base with the Airfield Manager as our guide. As he was showing us the flight line from a different perspective than I had seen before, I was again reminded of the cooperation that is mandatory between military personnel.
Everyone in the military community seems to have some understanding of what the rest of their team does. Cooperation and big picture awareness is a trait of all Air Force personnel.
Base commanders are expected to see everything from the standpoint of the workings of the entire base; however, their operations are part of the workings of the U. S. Air Force as a whole. Squadron commanders are not only concerned with their own squadrons, but must coordinate with the other squadrons on base.
Pilots see things from a unique perspective but they know their safety depends on every other person on the team, especially maintenance personnel. Without people dedicated to taking care of the airplanes, the pilots would not be safe. Pilots are trained to recognize when something is wrong with the airplane, but keeping them airworthy is the assignment of the maintenance personnel.
Airfield maintenance is another category altogether, but a very important one. The flight line must be clear of debris and maintained so that take offs and landings can be made safely. Controllers in the tower have a most important job as they are must be aware of everything happening on the ground and in the air. Teamwork is a necessary part of being safe, being productive and doing the assigned job.
This same teamwork principle is practiced in team sports. Baseball, football, soccer and many other sports give examples of the necessity of working together. That should also be the case in business and politics. The many examples of breakdowns in business and government are largely due to the inability to work as part of a team.
Being part of a whole is God’s plan for the church, His family. We are part of a family, a team, a body. When Christians follow His guidelines, His body functions as it should. When some in the Body of Christ do not cooperate with the rest of the church, it becomes dysfunctional. Not only can we learn from each other, we need each other to accomplish His will.
For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another (Romans 12:4-5)
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