I
just finished reading the book of Romans this week. Romans continues to be one
of my favorite books in Scripture. Don’t you find that every time you re-visit portions of the Bible that you’re familiar with something new always
jumps out at you?
This
time it was the very last chapter that got my attention. As Paul wraps
up his letter to the Believers in Rome he lists over thirty people by name,
giving them special recognition. He called them, sisters, co-workers, dear
friends, good men, leaders, those who risked their lives for him, and fellow
Jews.
He
told the readers to greet Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the
province of Asia. That little tidbit alone amazed me. We know the name of the
person that we could call “Christian Zero” in the Roman Province of Asia. What
a heritage. Paul seems so grateful for their presence and activity in his life.
He recognizes the great need for deep relationships and co-workers in his life.
While
looking through the names of people that Paul recognized and honored, I started
to think of people in my own life that I consider co-workers in the Gospel. And
then I began to consider those people in the publishing world that I would consider to be co-workers.
Chad
Allen wrote in his recent blog
“I’ve noticed that my friendships seem to head in one trajectory or another
too. Not exclusively, of course, but primarily I have friends who support my
spiritual pursuits, and I have other friends who support my entrepreneurial
pursuits. And I value both equally.”
There
are other words that have been tossed around a lot that could mean the same as
co-worker. Words such as tribe and community. Both describe a group of people
that one could share something in common with: a goal, a belief system, an
affection. The ones that we do life with. The ones that we couldn’t get
along without.
It’s
good to follow Paul’s example to appreciate and honor our own tribes and
community. Who
makes up your list? Critique partners, beta readers, editors, agents, fellow bloggers and the readers
who comment on your blog? People who have given their time and resources toward
your work as a writer and author? Some of them may live in another part of the
country, or the world, as was Paul’s experience. He had co-workers all over the
map. Today, thanks to the internet, we can say the same thing.
But
let me close with this. As I was meditating on all of this, and considering
those people that make up my own tribe and community – my co-workers - I began
to wonder how many people would put me on their own list? And that’s really my
challenge for us. Let’s make someone’s list.
