Blog
No One’s Perfect
May
You know when someone tells you a story, and you think one thing, but the lesson in the story is very different? Let me tell you a story of a conversation I had with my amazing sister-in-law the other day. She has recently moved to a new town. While discovering the beauty of this new season in life, she visited a church a couple of times. Last weekend, she and her love proudly arrived about eight minutes early to church. They had time to settle, participate in activities, and peacefully anticipate the service. As she was retailing the sermon, she said,
“This guy is great. I really enjoyed his passion for history because he makes the sermon come alive for me.”
After the service, everyone began to walk to the door for the traditional greeting of the priest. Shaking his hand, they gracefully explained that they were new to the church and enjoyed his sermon. He shook their hand and asked where they were from. They told him and thanked him again. Here was his response.
“You’re welcome, but next time, let’s work on not coming in late.”
So here is where I got offended. I was ready to have a few words—that is until she spoke her next words.
“I really liked how he taught; I’d like to go again.”
Wait, what?
“You weren’t angry because you were wrongfully accused of being one of those late people?”
“Oh no, he must have confused us with someone else. Maybe he gets confused when it comes to people.”
That’s when it hit me. Everyone of us has something or many things we are pretty good at, and everyone of us has something or many things we are not good at.
If the measure of a man is formed through his weaknesses then man will never take flight. But, if the measure of a man is found in his strengths then he can soar among the eagles.
She did not let the area he was not so skilled in (people skills) take away her joy from what he was good at (sharing practical truths).
How often do I miss out on blessings because I am distracted by challenges? How often do I miss out on the goodness because I’m so distracted by the offense?
If God needs me to be strong in every category in order for me to serve, then I will never get to serve. If He needs me to hit the mark all the time in every category, then I will never play the game.
There are many, many examples in the scriptures of strong men and women who accomplished extraordinary things for and with God but also “sucked” in other categories of life.
Thankfully God doesn’t focus on our “suck”. He sees our potential.
Here are a few examples for us to glean from.
King David was an adulterer, a murderer, a liar, and a “man after God’s own heart”.
Moses, who had a speech impediment , (and some fly off the handle moments) was God’s spokesman and led God’s people towards promised land.
Sarah told her husband, Abraham, to sleep with another woman and then became abusively angry about it yet God chose her to be the mother of his chosen people.
Noah got drunk, naked, and depressed yet he was the only one who believed God then he saved human kind.
Abraham was too old to accomplish anything for God yet he, staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief was was strong in believing knowing that what God said, God would do. He is called the Father of those who believe.
Timothy was too young to accomplish anything for God yet he helped found churches, notably in Corinth, Thessalonica, and Philippi.
Elijah, the God-seer, miracle worker, and zealot for faith in God became suicidal.
These are only a few of the examples we have been given from the scriptures. I want to take a second to look at a woman whose past did not defy her future. Her humility and love for the savior awoken the entire town of Sychar.
John 4:5
5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?
28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
41 And many more believed because of his own word;
42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
An entire city was ready to listen because of her courage. She obviously had something going on when it came to marriage. I am not sure exactly what, but it was something that didn’t stop Jesus (who knew of her weakness) from speaking to her. Nor did it stop him from revealing Himself to her.
If I allow someone’s weakness to be greater than their strength, I feed life and energy into the weakness, not the strength.
The other day, my bestie and I discussed something similar. We discussed how a rock has its strengths and purposes, but if I need a drink of water, I do not go to a rock to get it. It can not give me that. If I need a drink, I go to the stream where water can be found. It would be foolish to get angry at the rock for not quenching my thirst; that’s not what a rock can do. It can, however, be strong, solid, and reliable. That is where it functions best. See what I am getting at? We don’t need to waste our time being disappointed in rocks when we are thirsty or streams when we need solidarity. Each person and each item has its strengths, and each has categories at which it does not excel.
You know how a water hose is connected to the water line, and water flows freely through it? The moment it gets a kink, though, the flow of water is slowed or even stopped. We have lots of opportunities in life to either close the hose or allow flow. One way we close the flow is by choosing judgment over kindness. I’m not only speaking of judgment towards others, I am also referring to judgment towards ourselves. We can not deal with ourselves or others simply based on our weaknesses. We must acknowledge where we do it: Hit the Mark, nail it, slide, Dunk, rock, get it, and soar. There is a formula I have heard that goes like this:
Victory = Joy = Confidence
Our weaknesses do not negate our strengths. We can always improve, and I know we work at becoming the best version of ourselves all the time. Remembering where we have had victory produces joy, and that produces confidence.
The beauty of all of it is God looks at the heart.
I Samuel 16:7
…for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
Luke 16:15
…but God knows your hearts…
Psalms 51:10Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me.
So, with all of these analogies, what is the point?
“I really liked how he taught; I’d like to go again.”
Everyone has something or many things they are pretty good at. Everyone has something or many things they are not good at. Strive this week to see your strengths. Strive this week to see others’ strengths. Feed the light, and the light will grow!
