Here's the facts. I often go
through my life feeling completely unqualified to do the things that
I am doing. Writing a blog? Unqualified. Writing a book? Definitely
unqualified. Teaching my children? Totally and completely unqualified
failure. Being a mom or a good wife or a friend? Nope. Keeping
chickens alive? Probably not. Making a yummy dinner for my family?
Huh-uh.
And if I'm being honest, I
find that those words are being whispered in my brain over and over
again. "You aren't a jogger. You'll never be able to do this.
You'll never keep up with your son. I can't believe he puts up with
this slowness."
And that is not healthy. I'm
determined to change the internal dialogue. But every now and then, I
can hear the whispers starting back up. And then I read this:
"This is my life work:
helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a
sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details. When
it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in
God’s way, I was the least qualified of any of the available
Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure
that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities." (3:7-8)
Here's this guy that we all
look up to now. It's Paul. I mean, come on. He wrote over half of the
New Testament of the BIBLE people. The Bible! He was imprisoned for
Jesus more times than I think we even know. He traveled from church
to church teaching the good news, encouraging new Christians, and
helping believers understand God's message. And yet, when it came
down to it, he felt unqualified.
Guess what? He was. Totally.
He was a Christian KILLER until Jesus found him. He was a Pharisee!
He followed the laws to the T and forget a personal relationship! Who
needed Jesus?
But then it all changed and
he knew who needed Jesus. Not just him, but everyone. And so he did a
total 180 and started preaching about the very Jesus that he'd
persecuted others for. And there is only one thing that qualified
him. Jesus.
You see, without Jesus, I AM
unqualified to do my entire life. I can only do it because of the
strength, the wisdom, the patience, the grace, the love, and the hope
that I have in my life through HIM. And Paul said that too. Read the
last sentence in verse 8 one more time with me so it really sinks in:
"God saw to it that I
was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my
natural abilities."
There's a meme that says the
exact same thing floating around on Social Media right now and I love
it. It says that God doesn't call the qualified; He qualifies the
called.
And isn't that so true? I'm
a mess honestly. I am dramatic and sensitive and sometimes too into
my own self to notice the needs of those around me. And yet, God has
given me the amazing, sometimes unbelievable privilege of writing
this blog. You've seen me say it before and I'll say it again now. I
often don't have any clue what to write here. I feel completely
unqualified and like I should stop being a poser and just quit. (That
is too many "and"s in one post, seriously, sorry. It's my
word today I guess like this is Sesame Street)
But then Jesus swoops in and
saves me again. He gives me the message he wants shared and the words
to say. It's like a reminder every day of what he did for me on the
cross. I love it. I love that Jesus loves me so much that gives me a
little love note every morning. He does it by coming alongside me as
I type and whispering, "Don't worry. We've got this. I know what
you should write." Then I do. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. But
then, neither am I, right? And that's okay? I'm prayerful that Jesus
will use it anyway somehow even if it only reaches one lonely soul.
Let's see what Paul has to
say next:
"And so here I am,
preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the
inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ. My task is to bring
out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the
first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all
along. Through followers of Jesus like yourselves gathered in
churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked
about even among the angels!" (3:8-10)
Paul says here that his job
while he is on earth, his God given mission, is to teach others about
Jesus and to reach as many people as he possibly can. He is called to
show the world what God has planned for them now that Jesus has come
and gone on Earth. Isn't that an amazing calling?
But it's not only Paul's
calling. He calls all of us to do the same thing, to share the
amazing news that we all have hope and free grace available to us if
only we believe in Him. The difference is in how we are called. Paul
was called to speak, to travel, and to write these amazing letters
that have been saved within the pages of the Bible.
I believe mine is to write.
How that will play out is yet to be determined. But it's also to be a
mom to my kids and a wife to my husband. Demonstrating Christ to
them, urging us all along in learning about Him is an awe-inspiring
calling on my life. I am so privileged to get to live the life I
live. Sometimes I can't even believe that with all I have in my past-
and you can read about a bunch of it in some of my very transparent
posts from several weeks ago- God still chooses me. He chooses me.
And he chooses you too. What
is he calling you to do? When you close your eyes and it's just you
with God, what do you hear your heart whispering to you? Where are
the places you feel the most at home? What are your gifts and how can
you use them to further God's Kingdom?
I encourage you to pray
about those questions today. Find some time alone and in a quiet
space and just listen to God. Read his word. Let him guide you to His
true purpose for your life. I'm praying for you now as I type these
words out.
Be blessed today and don't
forget to be a blessing to others too! Amen.
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