Most people
struggle with something. Let’s see if this sounds like the resume of anyone we
know:
- Olympic-level Athleticism
- Einstein-level intelligence
- Always respectful at home—and everywhere else in the world
- Most popular person in their social circles
- On the fast track to success at work, or school
- Performance-level musical ability
- Drops what they’re doing at a moment’s notice to help mere acquaintances
My first reaction
when reading these characteristics would be: “Reallllly?! What Marvel Comic character
are we talking about? ‘Perfect Man’”?! Does
he annoy you to death with his ray of perfection?
This
character doesn’t sound familiar to you, either? That’s because this paragon of
virtue probably doesn’t exist. Or, if he does, I have yet to meet him. I’m only
familiar with broken, damaged people who have significant challenges in at least one area—including myself.
The good
news is that we don’t have to be the most intelligent, popular Olympic athletic
around (who is also a self-sacrificing concert pianist) to be used by God. He
takes us as we are. In fact, He uses
weak things to confound the wise.
The Bible
The quote above is taken from the story of
when the prophet, Samuel, was directed to choose a new king from among Jesse’s
sons. He had quite a few sons. However, God hadn’t called any of the older,
more “qualified” sons. Samuel was directed to ask Jesse to bring the shepherd,
David, in from the field. David was the youngest and smallest of the family. He
was the least “able”. Yet, he was anointed to be the king of Israel—twenty
years in the future.
David is not
the only case of an ill-equipped person being given responsibilities in the
Bible. Many of the disciples and prophets dealt with a lack of money, academic
training, social standing, and self-confidence.
Some of them also dealt with anger and depression.
Judas
Iscariot was the only disciple with worldly “qualifications”. He was a learned,
respected man from Jerusalem. Yet, he was the one who betrayed Jesus for 30
pieces of silver. This reminds me of a quote I saw online: God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the
called.
My Book
In my book, Accept No Trash Talk: Overcoming the Odds, I discuss
many examples of prominent people who would not have been expected to succeed
early in their careers: I reference people
who overcame prejudice, such as Jackie Robinson. I mention people who overcame
medical difficulties, such as Teddy Roosevelt and Helen Keller. I also note
individuals who struggled in their careers, such as Henry Ford and Alexander
Graham Bell.
My Conclusion
People have
different aptitudes; that’s just how we’re made. Throughout history, and the
Bible, the most successful individuals were often those who were least expected
to find success. That’s good news for those of us who struggle with trials
daily.
Though some
of us have a hard time admitting it, none of us are perfect. But, that’s okay.
We don’t have to be perfect to be loved and accepted by God. God
qualifies those who he chooses. God strengthens us.
How have you
moved beyond limitations?
