The B Team

Have you ever tried out for a team and after the try-outs the coaches decide to split the players into two teams, the “A Team” and the “B Team?” Then you look at the list and come to find you’ve been placed on the “B Team” and all the players that you admired as competitors were placed on the “A Team.”  Perhaps you began to question yourself. You started going through the tryout in your mind, picking apart your performance. You questioned what you did wrong or how you could have done something better. Guilt, shame and insecurity quietly took residence in your heart. You begin to compare yourself to the other players, and worst yet, you might tell yourself, “I am not good enough.”

All of these thoughts lead me to think  about Jesus’s ministry and his 12 disciples and their backgrounds. You could say that Jesus was the captain of the B Team. He chose the outcasts of society, the most unlikely bunch and set them apart for the greatest commission in history. But isn’t that just God’s way? I mean David was far from being the strongest, or handsomest amongst his brothers and yet God anointed him to be King. Moses had a fear of speaking and stuttered and yet God spoke miracles through him and used him to guide the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt.
 
Lately, I have been struggling with feeling like I am an outcast. My faith and my morals have always guided my decisions, but recently I have been made to question those convictions or worse be made to feel guilty about them. Being a Christian is never an easy walk. Jesus warned us that in this world we will have trouble, (John 16:33). He also said that because He was rejected by the world, we would be rejected as His followers, (John 15:20). But Jesus is good, and He promises to walk along side of us. He gave us His Holy Spirit to guide us, comfort us, teach us, and lead us. In times when I feel guilty or shameful, and I question, “Why can’t I just fit in?” “Why can’t I be good enough for them?” Jesus reminds me, as only He can through His Word, Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born I set you apart, (Jeremiah 1:5).

Jesus has chosen us to be a part of what He is doing— regardless of any A or B team status. The world may not understand us, they will persecute us, and even try to silence us. However, our King has overcome this world (John 16: 33). Our Captain has defeated the enemy. Be encouraged and stand strong on the confidence that you are chosen and loved by God. Ultimately, we as His children are all on one team.