“And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him” (Genesis 2:18). When God saw Adam all by himself, He said that it was not good. God knew that Adam needed help. He needed someone suitable for him, someone matched to his needs. God made Eve and brought her to Adam. When this first couple met, I’m sure it was immediately obvious that they were meant for each other. Adam needed someone, and Eve was that perfect someone for him to share his life with. Everything that Adam had done by himself, he now shared with his wife. We don’t know a lot about what their lives were like, but they undoubtedly became a team. As husbands and wives, we do not have to face life alone; and there are many benefits to working as a team.

  1.       Many Hands Make Light Work.

When I was just a boy and went to visit my grandmother, she would get all of the kids involved in whatever she was working on—picking up sticks in the yard, shucking corn, snapping green beans, sweeping up in the house, or even feeding the chickens. She would always say, “Many hands make light work.” The more people you have involved in any venture, the easier it is to do the work and the more quickly it can be “impossible...However, if you have enough people around it, you can get the job done."accomplished. You can look at a grand piano and think, “That would be impossible to move.” However, if you have enough people around it, you can get the job done.   We recently had to get a new refrigerator. I was amazed when I watched the men in the delivery crew bring it into the house. They had two straps that they placed under the refrigerator and around their forearms. Then, they simply stood near the fridge, placed their hands against it, and lifted it right off the ground. They had it in place in what seemed like no time at all. Imagine what would have happened if they couldn’t decide where to place the straps, or if one man had wanted to go in the front door, while the other wanted to go in the back. They never would have gotten it in the door. They had to work together to get the job done.   In Acts chapter 11, we have the story of Barnabas going to Antioch to preach the Gospel. While he was there, he remembered a young man named Saul who had recently gotten saved and gone from Jerusalem to his home town of Tarsus. Barnabas knew that Saul (who later became Paul) was zealous for the Lord and that he had a powerful testimony. He realized that he could not reach everyone in Antioch alone, so he went to Tarsus and convinced Saul to come back to Antioch and help him. After one year of working together there, the Bible says, “the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:26). They were called Christians, they were like Christ. How did they have such an impact? They worked as a team.   The same is true for a married couple. My wife and I are able to accomplish so much more when we work as a team. I love to work on things and fix things around the house. There have been many times when she has held the flashlight for me to work on something in the dark. My wife teaches piano, and so she needs my help around the house sometimes. At times (not often enough, I’m sure), I have been known to run the vacuum cleaner, help with the dishes, or perform some other household chore. We are a team. We help each other get the work done.   Rearing children is a lot of work! We learned that right away. My wife usually was the one to be up with our kids through the night, but there were times when my wife was especially tired or not feeling well and I was happy to take a turn and help out. Getting them all ready for church on Sunday morning became a joint effort; and when we worked together, it was much easier.   We decided before our children were born that we were always going to present a united front to our kids. We worked together on whatever the rules were. Parents who do not do this don’t stand a chance. Children are experts at working one authority against another, even at a very early age. We were not perfect at it, but I think if we had not planned ahead of time and then worked at it as our children grew, our home would have been a disaster.   My wife and I have had the privilege to work together with choirs and music groups for many years now. Any music rehearsal is easier for me if my wife is there. She knows just how to help me move things along and get things accomplished. As we learn to work together as a couple, it makes so many areas in life easier.

  2.       More Than One Viewpoint Sharpens Our Focus.

There is a building near us here in the Silicon Valley that looks like it has a completely different shape when each it views from each one of three different vantage points. In spite of the fact that it is many stories tall, from one viewpoint it seems like it is extremely narrow—only wide enough for one office. From another angle it appears to be a square building. However, if you are standing in the right place, it becomes obvious that the building is actually triangular in shape. We are handicapped in life if we can see only our own view. We begin to think we understand what is going on, but we do not realize that there is a lot more that we cannot see. As husbands and wives, we begin to understand more about life when we communicate with each other and share our viewpoints. This brings all of life into focus. It helps us to deal with our problems, to raise our children, to understand each other, and to see our surroundings much more clearly.

  3.       Working Together Hones Our Image.

Husbands and wives need feedback from each other. You may look at me and say that I am in a completely disheveled condition, devoid of any style or class. But if you think I am bad now, you can’t imagine what I would be like without my wife’s help. She helps me tremendously. She is my favorite listener when I am preaching or teaching, because I rely heavily upon her feedback.   When we put together a Christmas cantata, it is a better production because of the fact that we work together on it. There are certain things that my wife does that make the cantata flow smoothly and create a sharp presentation. There are things that I look for and work on as well. When we work as a team, the end result is a much better package.

  4.       Shared Accomplishment Brings Joy.

 “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour” (Ecclesiastes 4:9). It is fun to work as a team, and it is even more fun when you win. You watch a team that has just won a championship jump up and down, and you will see some happy people. Why? Because they have accomplished something that they have been working together to accomplish.   My wife and I share a tremendous amount of joy because of the things that God has allowed us to accomplish. Let me encourage you to set some goals and work together to accomplish them. They may be spiritual goals, work-related goals, family-related goals, or financial goals; but work together on them and you will rejoice together when you see them accomplished.  

5.       Teammates Offer Protection.

“For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up” (Ecclesiastes 4:10). God’s plan calls for the family to be the basic building block of society. The foundation of that plan is a marriage between a man and a woman. That is God’s plan. This plan affords a protection for both the husband and the wife. A spouse’s presence in your life is designed to keep you from sin. Too many Christians bristle at the protection that is offered by being a member of their “team.” This protection is a wonderful thing, and without it, most of us could not make it in the Christian life.   So many marriages are struggling today, even in Christian circles. However, I am convinced that if we could understand that we are part of a team as husbands and wives, and then work together as a team, our lives would be much happier, much more productive, and a much greater testimony to God’s grace and goodness.