Self-Sufficient part 5
I have everything I need. Because I have Jesus. I am entirely sef-sufficient... because I have the ability to connect with people. I know that seems counter-intuitive, but I think it's supposed to. I don't think we're supposed to be able to "figure everything out." Certainly not by ourselves. If we could, we wouldn't need each other. And we wouldn't need God. If we could somehow save ourselves, we wouldn't need a Savior. Remember that passage of Scripture I quoted where Paul asked three times for Jesus to remove the thorn in his flesh? And instead of just making the problem go away, Jesus assured him that His grace is sufficient. It's not about never having problems, or challenges. It's about going THROUGH those things in order to learn and grow. In order to then be able to help others thorugh those same sorts of things. If you know it, you can throw it. If you've been there, done that, got the t-shirt... that's when you can look someone in the eye and say, "I've been where you are. I got through it. You can, and will, too." And that's so important. That's what people need a lot of the time. Not necessarily someone to "fix" their problems for them, but someone to be there with them and let them know that it's going to be ok. Listen, there's a certain sense of pride that you get when you CAN do something yourself. Especially if it's something you've struggled with and worked really hard to accomplish. I get that. I think that's good and proper. But at the same time, there are some things that I just plain can't do. Because I'm not supposed to do them. Not everything is for me. And I'm ok with that. As long as I stay in my lane and do what I can do I think I'm ok. As long as I do my part I can be at peace. Because here's the thing: God won't put things on you to do that you can't do. Even when He recruited Moses, and Moses insisted that he wasn't a good public speaker... God gave him Aaron. He never requires anything from us that He doesn't first equip and empower us to do. If it's from God... GOD will make it happen. And, oftentimes, He does that by connecting us to the people we need to be connected to. He will give us an Aaron. So that TOGETHER we can make it happen. Things work out better when we work together. Our "self" sufficiency is really God sufficiency. He is our provision. When we rely on Him, that's when HE can move in our lives. I heard a preacher say it like this, "When you work, God will rest. But when you rest, God will work!" If you want to try to do it yourself, I believe God will let you. To a certain degree. Sometimes He steps in whether you (think you) want Him to or not. And thank God for that. But there's a more excellent way. And that way is Jesus. That way is love. Letting love link and bind and connect us together so that we don't even ever THINK we have to do things on our own. I can't do everything. And that's ok. Because I don't have to. Because I'm not alone. We're all in this together. What I can't do, maybe you can. And maybe you're supposed to. So I don't need to look at it as lack on my part. I have everything I need... because I have God. Because I have love. Because I have you!