Meism says, “Me first.” It’s the opposite of weism that says, “We first.”

On the night before his crucifixion Jesus prayed for his future disciples–you and me. He could have prayed we would be strong and powerful. Instead, we read, “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one” (John 17:20-21). He prayed we would be united—like a team.

A moment later he prayed something that clarified what he had just said. He requested,

“That they may be one as we are one. I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:23). Jesus prayed we would experience weism, at the spiritual level, with each other and the Godhead.

Whenever a team pulls together we say, “They’ve got spirit.” I suspect that sense of unity is a taste of what God offers every team. And it makes me wonder if the reality of a team flows from the nature of God. After all, The Father, Son, and Spirit work together in harmony. Could our desire to experience “teamwork” prove we bear God’s image?

Weism isn’t something that happens naturally. We’re prone to selfishness. I suppose that’s why Jesus prayed for us. And why he set us free.