Utterly Inadequate


There are times when I feel like superwoman and feel like I could do anything I set my mind to. But more often, I feel ill-equipped and totally unprepared for what lies ahead. Have you ever felt totally inadequate for the task at hand? There have been times in my life when I knew God wanted me to do something and I not only felt unprepared, but I also felt incapable. Fear threatens to paralyze us in these moments, preventing us from moving forward in obedience to Christ. 

Several years ago, I was invited to be a part of a mission team going to a part of the world that is hostile to the gospel. I knew that God had called me to go. The trouble was that God didn’t share that calling with my family and friends. Many were afraid for me and as they voiced their concerns, I too began to doubt my calling. Did God really want me to go? What did I possibly have to offer this people group? Surely I could pray for them from the safety of my own living room.

A wise friend once told me, “It’s when you feel like you have something to offer God that He can’t use you. When we are weak, He is strong. He works best in us when we admit we can’t do anything for Him, and yet we allow Him to do what we could never do on our own --- that way He gets ALL THE GLORY!!!

In the end, I went on the trip, and I will never be the same. Looking from the rooftop over the city, my heart broke as I saw millions of people who have never heard the gospel. How will they hear unless someone tells them? I decided in that moment that obedience is worth the price…even when it is costly.

Do I still feel inadequate? Absolutely! But obedience to Christ has taken me places I never dreamed I’d go (literally and figuratively) and I wouldn’t trade the adventure for anything this world has to offer!

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Tears to Joy: Utterly Inadequate

Monday, March 5, 2012

Utterly Inadequate


There are times when I feel like superwoman and feel like I could do anything I set my mind to. But more often, I feel ill-equipped and totally unprepared for what lies ahead. Have you ever felt totally inadequate for the task at hand? There have been times in my life when I knew God wanted me to do something and I not only felt unprepared, but I also felt incapable. Fear threatens to paralyze us in these moments, preventing us from moving forward in obedience to Christ. 

Several years ago, I was invited to be a part of a mission team going to a part of the world that is hostile to the gospel. I knew that God had called me to go. The trouble was that God didn’t share that calling with my family and friends. Many were afraid for me and as they voiced their concerns, I too began to doubt my calling. Did God really want me to go? What did I possibly have to offer this people group? Surely I could pray for them from the safety of my own living room.

A wise friend once told me, “It’s when you feel like you have something to offer God that He can’t use you. When we are weak, He is strong. He works best in us when we admit we can’t do anything for Him, and yet we allow Him to do what we could never do on our own --- that way He gets ALL THE GLORY!!!

In the end, I went on the trip, and I will never be the same. Looking from the rooftop over the city, my heart broke as I saw millions of people who have never heard the gospel. How will they hear unless someone tells them? I decided in that moment that obedience is worth the price…even when it is costly.

Do I still feel inadequate? Absolutely! But obedience to Christ has taken me places I never dreamed I’d go (literally and figuratively) and I wouldn’t trade the adventure for anything this world has to offer!

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