I have a friend who played basketball all four years in high school and was never more than a bench player — benchwarmer, if you will. Through those years, he would become frustrated with the coaches, his playing or any other number of things. Despite this, he faithfully showed up to every practice and game. He never vocalized complaints to his team or coach, and he never quit — though both actions seem warranted. I think we can learn a lot from him and many other “benchwarmers.”

In many ways, most of our lives will mirror the benchwarmer’s. We will show up for work, sit around, rarely get noticed, go home and repeat. The mundane life is closer to all of us than we think. It is important to understand, however, that this does not make us unimportant.

Your involvement is not in vain

Just because we are not the star player, key salesperson or the missionary serving an unreached people does not mean we can mentally check-out.

To truly be a part of a community, we have a responsibility to our them to participate in our fullest capacity without grumbling or slacking off. Regardless of the position in our organization, we need to do our assignments well and thoroughly even if that comes without recognition for doing so.

Your ministry is valuable

Our life’s current situation provides us with a unique network of acquaintances we would otherwise never encounter. God has placed us in these situations to make them matter. As we warm the bench, the pew or the lonely cubicle, we are blessed with the opportunity to build relationships with fellow benchwarmers and sometimes even with the star influencers of our group.

As we develop and invest into our peers, our love should be evident. Our love should not discriminate based on race, gender, religion or anything that makes them different from us.

Where you find Christian peers, you find friends to encourage. For all peers who are not Christians, you have the opportunity not only to share the gospel, but make a new friend. God has placed you in your position — mundane as it may be — with a network of people you can influence for better or worse in regards to the gospel.

It’s not all about you

Our teams, churches and so on should not be centered around my well-being, my happiness or anything that is me-centered. Instead of looking to highlight our own strengths, why are we not working as a team to highlight someone else’s? Or if we are referring to church life, why are we not working together in our communities outside of our church building on a regular basis?

Don’t neglect benchwarmers

Most of us may be benchwarmers, but there will very rarely come the Billy Grahams, Amy Carmichaels, Hudson Taylors and Fanny Crosbys in our own time. It falls on the responsibility of these “stars” to be humble and remember their fame is not their own, but a tool for God’s glory. In the same way, our “nothingness” in our lowly positions should be used in kingdom service.