Word of the Day: Cooperation

As I was on one of my Inspiration Bike Rides, on the River, I was enlightened with today’s word. I kind of chuckled to myself when I thought how elementary it was. I think I first learned it on Sesame Street, when I was a child. That word is Cooperation.

Now you say it out loud to yourself. “COOPERATION!”

On Sesame Street, we learned how working together helped make task, like cleaning up, more manageable. The beauty of this practice is that it also creates a special bond between those who cooperate. We can all think of close bonds we have with people that we have worked closely together with. Some of my greatest memories are with those who I worked closely with in rebuilding New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Cooperation is a powerful word when you think about what it means and what it can accomplish.

Out of curiosity, I looked up antonyms of cooperation. A few of them are: hindrance, hurt, injury, delay, discord and disagreement. I have some, not so fond, memories of others who have been a hindrance in my life or who caused discord and hurt.

While we are very familiar with destructive practices on our environment, I thought how much better it is to cooperate with nature rather than against it. In Genesis we read that the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose see was in itself, after his kind: and God saw it was good. (Genesis 1:12)

We were all put on this earth to work as One.

When we cooperate with God’s creation, we are at one with it. An incredible bond is formed with God when we learn to cooperate with Him rather than against Him. This can be our cooperation with nature or any of His ways.

In closing, I was reminded of a prayer that I learned many years ago. While I don’t know if it was actually written by the Eighteenth Century folk legend known as Johnny Appleseed, I think it is a beautiful prayer for all who have learned to cooperate with God. May we all be blessed with this perspective.

The Lord is good to me

And so I thank the Lord

For giving me the things I need
The sun and rain and an apple seed
Yes, he’s been good to me

I owe the Lord so much
For everything I see
I’m certain if it weren’t for Him
There’d be no apples on this limb
He’s been good to me

Oh, here am I ‘neath the blue, blue sky a-doin’ as I please
Singin’ with my feathered friends, hummin’ with the bees

I wake up every day as happy as can be
Because I know that with His care
My apple trees, they will still be there
Oh, the Lord is good to me.