I’m pleased to report that this week marks my one-year “blogiversary!”
(Mind effectively blown.)
It is hard to believe an entire year of writing weekly blog articles has come and gone.
I remember in the beginning thinking, I must be nuts committing myself to a weekly blog when I'm no writer! I didn't have the first clue what I could write about let alone write for an entire year.
Somehow the words came.
Accompanied by a lot of doubt and uncertainty. I cannot tell you the number of times I had to remind myself of my mantra - “I AM a pencil in the hand of God.” An adaptation of Mother Teresa’s quote “I'm a little pencil in the hand of a writing God, who is sending a love letter to the world.”
Believe you me- I am no Mother Teresa. FAR FROM IT!
Maybe that is why I’ve doubted myself from the beginning. That I’m not good enough, not qualified enough-- constant little whisperings of “Who wants to hear your perspective- you are no authority!”
I had to question if I was suffering from atelophobia or the Devil whispering in my ear.
I often wonder if acceptance, especially self-acceptance, is a by-product of how we label or see ourselves or others?
Viewing through an optical illusion like the ambiguous image.
An ambiguous image is one that exploits or distorts the interpretation of the picture.
For example, what do you see in the ambiguous image below?
Does a beautiful young lady jump out at you?
Or do you see a wrinkly old hag?
Interpretation is all in the eye of the beholder.
Possibly my struggle stems from seeing an ambiguous picture in my own life; one that mixes Mother Teresa (a Saint that devoted actionable service to others) and the unlikely C.S. Lewis (a pipe-smoking, ale-drinking, no-filter speaking kind’of guy who used his imagination and writing to touch others for God).
In viewing this picture, I align myself more with C.S. Lewis as I don’t always have the best filter, I love a good glass (or two) of wine, and I certainly haven’t selfishly devoted my life to caring and serving the poor. The best I can do is share my insights in a blog and hope I touch someone in the process.
Does this mean my efforts should be diminished and that God couldn’t or shouldn’t use me for His purpose?
I should hope not; especially when you take inventory of the celebrated people that God DID use in extraordinary ways:
Noah was a drunkard;
Moses was a murderer & stutterer;
David was an adulterer & murderer;
Samson was a womanizer;
Rahab was a prostitute;
Mary was an unwed teenager;
Peter was a hot-tempered,impulsive guy who denied Christ 3 times and
Saul/Paul was the ultimate persecutor of Christians!
“And looking at them Jesus said to them, "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." ~ Matthew 19:26
God historically used the unlikely; those that didn't fit the world's idea of worthy.
He purposefully picks the imperfect, broken and stained so that He may be magnified.
He takes the unexpected and demonstrates His work through them.
He takes the incapable and makes them capable.
So, if God loves to take the unlikely and do great things through them, how should we respond when He call us?
Shrink from the call?
Deny we are worthy, that He must have the wrong person?
Hesitate because we don’t believe we have anything of value to offer?
We need to boldly answer the call and embrace our unlikely status, believing that God can accomplish anything through us.
God promises in Luke 1:45: "Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her."
We also see in Philippians 1:6- “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
God fulfills His promises, and you can believe if He starts a good work He can be trusted to finish it!
All we need to do is start seeing the right picture and believing and trusting in the right source.
So, I’ll continue to see myself as the chipped pencil in His hands, trusting and believing He is using me for His glory and I will count myself honored to be a part of His unlikely cast of characters.
When He calls you- don’t let your unlikely status get in the way as there is a role for all of us to play and we can take comfort in knowing God loves the unlikely!
Father, thank you that you love the unlikely. That you select us to do your work so that your strength and abilities can be magnified. Help us to overcome our fears, insecurities and doubts and trust that you will finish any good work that you start and that your promises will always be fulfilled.
“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” ~ Philippians 4:13