My son, Zachary, is two and half years old and has recently
discovered the movie, The Incredibles.
“Mommy! Dada! Snuggle and watch Incredibles?” is what we hear almost
every day. Zachary loves to watch this
super hero family because they are the good guys, they save the world, and they
are brave. Brave. Sometimes this is a word that we would only use to describe
our super hero cartoons. Maybe we would use it to describe someone who puts
their life on the line like those in the military, law enforcement or
firefighters. Brave might be a descriptor for those who are persecuted,
grieving a loved one or fighting cancer. Brave is not always a word we would
use to label ourselves in everyday life; however, brave is exactly what we are
called to be. Today, we are going to debunk three myths[1]
that many of us wrestle with when it comes to stepping into our roles
God has planned for us.
Myth #1: I am not good enough.
Oh my, how I have said this to myself so many
times. After my son was born, I had a hard time believing that I could make a
difference, especially when it came to kingdom work. After all I was “just a stay
at home mom” and it was challenging enough just keeping my clothes free from
breastmilk, spit-up and that nasty baby poop that smells like sour Greek yogurt.
I would image that God’s heart breaks when he sees us feel this way about
ourselves. He dearly loves us. He designed us and sustains us so of course we are
good enough, but sometimes we have a hard time accepting this truth. Moses – spoiler alert - wasn’t a mom, but he
felt this way too. When God told him to lead His people out of Egypt, Moses
actually said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the
Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11) God straight up tells Moses what his
purpose is, and Moses decides to tell the All-Knowing, All-Powerful, Creator of
the universe that he is going to take a hard pass. But our patient Father knew
that Moses was nervous – after all, He knit Moses in his mother’s womb[2],
so God tells Moses, “I will be with you.” (Exodus 3:12) What can we take from Moses
self-doubt? We are absolutely equipped to fulfill the purpose that God has
planned for us because HE planned it for US. We ARE good enough.
Myth #2: I am not strong enough.
Everyone is wired with a defense mechanism when we
are in trouble. It is called ‘flight or fight.’ When those hairs on the back of
your neck stand up and you know something funky is about to go down, you either
clench your fists and stand your ground, or you road-runner your rear out of
there. I am a flighter, not a fighter. Sometimes this is a good thing,
a more safe choice. Other times it means not standing up for what is right which
makes me responsible for the wrong. I want to do what is right, but I think
that I am just not strong enough. What can I do? Gideon felt this way too.
After Moses listened to God’s calling and realized he was good enough, he led the Israelites out of Egypt. Unfortunately,
it was only a matter of time before this people group forgot about how God
answered their prayers and delivered them from slavery. They started whining
about not getting to their destination quick enough and decided to worship fake
gods, which did not sit well with THE God. God figured that since the
Israelites didn’t need Him, He would hand them over to a group of people called
the Midianites. These people were trouble. They ransacked camps, crops and
livestock. The Israelites decided that they needed God again and pleaded with
Him to save them….again. God chose Gideon to save the people from the
Midianites; however, Gideon gives the Lord the “but God, I am not strong
enough” spiel. “How can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest and I am the
least in my family.” (Judges 6:15) Once again, our patient Father knew that
Gideon was scared, because He created Gideon too, so God tells him, “I will be
with you.” (Judges 6:16) We were wired to do the job that God calls us to do
because God created us. He knows what we can accomplish because He made us. We
ARE strong enough because HE planned it for US.
Myth #3: I am not grace-filled
enough.
Pride is a sneaky thing. It tells us that we are
better than our neighbor because our kids are better-behaved. Pride allows us
to look down on others who don’t have as high of an education as we do. Pride
gives us permission to deem what others “deserve.” Pride is a sheep in wolf’s
clothing. Moms play a part in this ugliness. I have seen (and sometimes,
shamefully been a part of) quips on social media about stances on
breastfeeding, vaccinations, schooling, discipline, etc. Sometimes we think
that we are “helping” others by sharing what we do, but what we are doing is throwing our pride around and
making it look like we are extending grace, but that is the last thing we are
actually doing. Jonah struggled with this too. Yep, that guy that got swallowed
by a whale. He chose not to follow God’s calling for his life, and his reason
was pride. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach against the people’s wickedness,
but Jonah doesn’t want to save the people of Nineveh because they weren’t
Israelites and he knew that if he went there, God would change the hearts of
those people. Doesn’t this sound familiar – not wanting to help someone because
they may not be like us or make us uncomfortable? Jonah’s heart was hardened to
the Ninevites, but three days in the belly of a whale can change a man, so he
did in fact go to Nineveh and the people repented as Jonah feared they would.
Later, Jonah decided to have a little chat with the Holy One who apparently – in
Jonah’s eyes – needed a little hand slap. “But Jonah was greatly displeased and
became angry. He prayed to the Lord, ‘O Lord, is this not what I said when I
was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that
you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love,
a God who relents from sending calamity.’” (Jonah 4:1-2) Jonah is actually mad
that God is so forgiving. God lets Jonah rant and then He says to him, “Have
you any right to be angry? (vs. 4) Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty
thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many
cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?” (vs 10-11) God
basically tells Jonah, to chill out. He wants Jonah to understand that lives
are at stake here - and apparently cattle, maybe He was craving a good burger. God
knows it’s hard for us to extend grace because he made us. However, that little
fact does not get us off the hook. We have been forgiven for every wrong and so
we need to extend that same grace to others. We may not feel that we are
grace-filled enough, but we are called to love others as ourselves[3].
Being grace-filled is something that we have to practice. We can ask the Lord
to help us love others the way He loves them. By doing so, we CAN be
grace-filled enough.
Your homework was to reflect on your skills and
gifts. I asked you to group items together to see if any patterns could be
made. More importantly, I told you to spend time in prayer, asking God what He
wants you to do with the gifts He has given you. Some of you reading this know
what your purpose is right now. While it is exhilarating, it can be scary too.
Following Jesus is anything but comfortable. Maybe you have been believing the
myths above. Maybe you think you’re not good enough, like Moses thought. Maybe
you think you’re not strong enough, as Gideon did. Or maybe you think you
aren’t grace-filled enough like Jonah. The
big take away from debunking these three myths is that all these guys were equipped by the Lord and none of these guys were alone. God was with them and He is with
you. Don’t let Satan come in and convince you that God’s power is not enough.
Remember, God sees you as His treasured and precious baby girl. He won’t leave
you. Deuteronomy 31:6 says, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or
terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never
leave you or forsake you.” You’ve got this! You can do this! You ARE good
enough. You ARE strong enough. You ARE grace-filled enough, because you are not
alone and you have been created for a specific purpose. God won’t let you fail
at what He has called you to do.
Maybe you have
done your homework but you feel like you don’t have a clear direction of what
God’s purpose is for you right now. I would encourage you to take this time to
volunteer in an area that gives you joy. If one of your skills was baking; make
some cookies for a lonely neighbor. If you like to read; offer to read with
kids at your local elementary school (as a former teacher, you should know that
staff loves this! Call the office and tell them you want to volunteer and you
will be placed somewhere quickly!) My husband’s aunt grows a garden and its
sole purpose is to give the flowers away to spread a little cheer. If you like to garden, try that! You may find
that the giving of your time lends itself to learning your purpose. Stay
willing and flexible. Continue to make notes in your notebook and pray for
God’s leading. God’s timing is perfect but often not the same as our timeline.
He will use you.
The time has come for us to bravely step into our
roles. Remember, we were not created with “a spirit of timidity, but a spirit
of power, of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:6) When we exhibit that
spirit of power, we get to be super heroes who are fighting for the Lord.
Thankfully, this does not entail spandex suits, but it is awe-inspiring to see
someone following Jesus. Go on, ladies, be brave.
**Originally written for Emerge Mothers Academy Parenting Class**
[1]
Posthuma, P. (2015). B.L.E.S.S. Saying Yes [Sermon] Montgomery Community
Church, Cincinnati, Ohio http://www.mcc.us/information/weekly-media
[2]
Psalm 139:13 “For you created my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother’s womb.”
[3] Matthew
22:37-39 “Jesus replied, “‘Love the Lord
you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is ‘Love your
neighbor as yourself.’”
