Better Together

Working together with others is not just about lightening the load; it is a fundamental component of God’s design for human flourishing. At the ChASM Project, we understand that “it is not good for man to be alone” and that we are better together. Those principles are integral to how we operate, and they should be foundational in your life as well. 

Genesis 1 and 2 both emphasize different aspects of Creation. Genesis 1 presents God’s creative order. It reveals the natural world and humanity’s dominion and stewardship over it. However, Genesis 2 offers a much more precise look into how people work together to accomplish what God has set before them. Verse 7 describes how God made man, and verse 8 says that He planted a garden and put the man in it. God created all of the plants and seeds on the third day (Genesis 1:11-13). He did not need the garden to get vegetation in the earth. This garden was the man’s mission; God placed him there “to tend and keep it” (Genesis 2:15).

After God created the man and assigned his mission, the Creation narrative takes an interesting turn. From “in the beginning” until that moment, God judged everything as “good” (Genesis 1:10, 1:12, 1:18, 1:21, 1:25) or “very good” (Genesis 1:31). However, God says man being alone was “not good” (Genesis 2:18). Apparently, the man recognized this truth as well. Perhaps that is why the first recorded human expression was the man’s exhilaration when God brought his perfectly customized partner into his life: “Bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man” (Genesis 2:23). This perfect companion resolved the “not good” and was the crowning glory of God’s “very good” creation.

God’s pattern is to create people, assign them their personal missions, and then send people to help them fulfill His plans for their lives. I have seen this pattern at work in my own life. God made me, then revealed His vision for the ChASM Project, and has now sent people to help me pursue it. I would be alone and “not good” without the people God has commissioned to work alongside me to accomplish everything He desires for the ChASM Project. These include our Advance Party, which meets weekly to intercede on behalf of the boys and for the needs of the ChASM Project; our Board, which guides the organization; the consultants who have helped with curriculum development and marketing; and the donors and volunteers who help God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. I am so grateful for all of them and excited about what the Lord is doing through all of us together.

Our cooperation at the ChASM Project is not just about the adults, though. It is also a principle which we pass along to the boys through example and instruction. It is not good for them to be alone either. The world can often be a lonely place for young men facing many different challenges. That is why discipleship and mentorship are the backbone of our curriculum, and why we emphasize the importance of brotherhood and fellowship. In the world, many of these boys are alone and “not good,” but at the ChASM Project, they belong and develop a lifelong group of friends to help them successfully navigate the trials of life.

What about you? You know that God placed you here and now, for such a time and place as this. You probably also know that He has a plan and purpose for your life, and it is greater than anything you would be able to accomplish on your own. A divine assignment is not just a mission; it is a commission, and it requires other people to help it come to pass. Who has God placed in your life to help you accomplish all that He has called you to do?