For a long time I've been trying to explain to God that I feel like I'm not quite in my niche... Like I'm spending most of my time doing things I'm not very good at...And laying in bed last night, I finally realized how often and how long I've been saying that for.
It's been years.
At first I wanted to complain about it. But then I realized how many awesome things I've been learning in the long process:
When you live your life doing things you're weak at, you learn to stop trusting yourself for everyday success and start trusting God for it. Perpetual weakness can very easily turn into consistent training in trusting God's grace.
When I do things I'm bad at, I can't trust myself to be successful...and rightfully so. I'm generally not very good at what I'm doing. And in that place, my heart is immediately postured for dependence on God's unmerited favor. Because I can't very well earn success at that point. It has to be given to me as a gift or it won't happen at all.
When I look at my weaknesses, I really only have two options. Listen to my fears or start trusting God. My fears will always point me to my inability to earn it, and therefore, suffer the penalty of my mistakes. The basis of fear, in this case, is you and your inability.
The basis of peace is God and His ability. Notice how your ability is no longer in the picture. It's not about you anymore. It's not about what you do to earn success...or failure. The focus has changed. It's all about Him and what He does for you. And in that place of supreme confidence in God alone, we find space for the rhythm of God's love to take over. Our days start breathing the love of God.
When you live your life doing things you're weak at, you learn to stop trusting yourself for everyday success and start trusting God for it. Perpetual weakness can very easily turn into consistent training in trusting God's grace.
When I do things I'm bad at, I can't trust myself to be successful...and rightfully so. I'm generally not very good at what I'm doing. And in that place, my heart is immediately postured for dependence on God's unmerited favor. Because I can't very well earn success at that point. It has to be given to me as a gift or it won't happen at all.
When I look at my weaknesses, I really only have two options. Listen to my fears or start trusting God. My fears will always point me to my inability to earn it, and therefore, suffer the penalty of my mistakes. The basis of fear, in this case, is you and your inability.
The basis of peace is God and His ability. Notice how your ability is no longer in the picture. It's not about you anymore. It's not about what you do to earn success...or failure. The focus has changed. It's all about Him and what He does for you. And in that place of supreme confidence in God alone, we find space for the rhythm of God's love to take over. Our days start breathing the love of God.
We remember His perfect love for us, proven completely on the cross. This casts out our fears because we realize God is no longer holding our mistakes against us. The penalty for those mistakes was completely put on Christ and we trust in Him alone. This sets us free to live a life where we don't rely on our rightness anymore. And because our right and wrong actions aren't in the way anymore, the love of God has an avenue to express itself.
When the Apostle Paul said, "It is no longer I who lives, it is Christ who lives through me", this is what he was speaking of. Where is Paul's success or failure in this equation? Where are his good or bad actions? Where is his ability or inability? It's not there anymore because he refuses to rely on it. He's as good as dead, which means that Christ is able to live through Him. The love of God is breathed in. the love of God is breathed out.
And in that place, God's success starts showing up in ways that are outside of our ability. Weakness is only terrifying if you depend on it to be strong. But when we depend on God to be strong instead, weakness becomes our daily reminder of the powerful God who takes care of us.
So don't be afraid of living in weakness, because that ends up being the proving ground for God's strength.That's where we learn to trust again. It's worth waiting in.
When the Apostle Paul said, "It is no longer I who lives, it is Christ who lives through me", this is what he was speaking of. Where is Paul's success or failure in this equation? Where are his good or bad actions? Where is his ability or inability? It's not there anymore because he refuses to rely on it. He's as good as dead, which means that Christ is able to live through Him. The love of God is breathed in. the love of God is breathed out.
And in that place, God's success starts showing up in ways that are outside of our ability. Weakness is only terrifying if you depend on it to be strong. But when we depend on God to be strong instead, weakness becomes our daily reminder of the powerful God who takes care of us.
So don't be afraid of living in weakness, because that ends up being the proving ground for God's strength.That's where we learn to trust again. It's worth waiting in.
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