During teenage and early adult life, “focus” was my name and “personal accomplishment” was my game. Blessed from a young age with a platform to grow, my personal dreams and desires were encouraged and positively reinforced by a family so good at celebrating me. I had personal confidence and believed I could accomplish what I set my mind to do. And so I did, pursuing a path of accomplishing personal desires … in my mind building a resume of accomplishment with great emphasis on the last two letters!

The accomplishments were wonderful, and I had even learned to glorify God for each of the successes! He was truly my source! Yet the season that would follow was one of realizing opportunities gone by … amidst many personal accomplishments that I was and am proud of still, there were other things that I missed. The things that I longed for surprised me.

• I remembered the hard practice with my trumpet and countless hours honing my craft in pursuit of personal goals that I worked hard to achieve; yet, looking back, my heart longed for the sound of a symphony of instruments again where no one instrument was distinguishable from another … not the sound of me but the sound of we.
• I remembered countless hours of study and diligence to ensure that my efforts would surpass the efforts of others; yet, my heart longed for an opportunity to return to those around me and inspire them to a common purpose … not a purpose of me but a purpose of we.

The road to personal accomplishment was paved with so many celebrating me, but the longing of my heart is fulfilled and completed only by team accomplishment … celebrating we. A person with an identity deeply rooted in Jesus Christ succeeds out of the overflow of God’s grace upon their life. Personal accomplishment is important, but outside the context of family, it feels like empty reward without the contextual significance of valued relationships to celebrate with. So for those that want to stop building a Resu-ME and want to start building a Resu-WE, here are a few sacrifices ahead that will lead to a fulfilling and satisfying future of celebratingWE:

• Learn to celebrate the team in successes – even personal ones. If your name has to be at the top of the page, you might be missing an opportunity to inspire someone else to new heights. The servants of all are the greatest of all in God’s Kingdom. Celebrating everyone calls the team higher and builds self-confidence in every individual to play their role no matter what it is! Substitute “I” statements for “We” statements, and watch how many people rally with you to new heights!
• Believe in someone before they deserve it. We seem to have a “prove your worth” culture with a desire to honor others once, and only when, they are absolutely proven. What if we honored and celebrated others before they “deserved” it because of the spiritual heritage and call that lives in them. I’m certain you remember and respect the people in your life who honored you with what they saw before you had a resume to prove it. I call this concept – “Getting in on Greatness”! Invest in someone when they’re only beginning and need it the most!
• Fall in love with the idea that someone you inspire will accomplish more than you. This one is contradictory to every ounce of human thinking that exists, but it’s also the secret to an incredible life of joy. Learn to believe in and invest in others around you in a way where you truly desire for them to outdo yourself. Desire greatness for others not only in areas where they are different from you, but even more challenging, in areas where they share abilities, talents, dreams and desires of your own. This incredible heart of spiritual fathers and mothers too often is missing in the Kingdom, but it will live vibrantly in the hearts of a supernatural family!

These principles are the kinds of ideals we wish to inspire in the hearts of our EQUIP School of Ministry students. They are amazingly talented and gifted individuals, and as a supernatural family, they will win Georgia and beyond for Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit! Won’t you join us at EQUIP?

Garrett Cole