Some weeks an arctic blast hits, bringing the temperature down and the wind up. Even before then, the flu symptoms have hit, you’ve taken a few days off work and your voice has disintegrated beyond all comprehension.
That was this week for me. Not winter yet but feeling like it.
It reminded me again of how much the weather can impact our mood (and why seasonal affective disorder is actually a thing). It also reminded me how not everyone feels the same way about a weather report when they hear it.
Whether it’s because the day will now be too hot to do what you had planned to do, or have too much wind for your outdoor activity, different weather conditions hit differently for different people.
I’m also reminded of this when it rains for some time and people start to complain about ‘how awful it’s been all this rain we’ve been having lately’ and I have to nod and agree. Meanwhile internally I’ll be saying a ‘Thank you Jesus’. (Should’ve been a duck)
Some may think it strange that I like the rain, but that’s OK. We aren’t all the same.
God is more creative than that.
We see God’s creativity when we look at His Church: a mixed bag of people.
None of us are the same but would we want it to be so? Of course not. That would make for a rather boring church as a starting point.
Moreover, if we were all the same, we’d never manage to share the gospel effectively with the rest of the world. Because the rest of the world is a mixed bag of people too.
Which is why everyone in the church – even the rain loving ones of us – are qualified for the job of sharing the gospel.
Because it’s not who we are that qualifies us for the task. It’s God.
We don’t have to be anyone other than ourselves, and then just allow God to speak His message through us. We might not feel able to share the message of the gospel – I rarely do – but that is not God’s concern.
What concerns God is to give his messengers everything they need for the task. We have limitations, but God does not.
“Whatever limitations you perceive, go and serve in God’s name. Lean into a limitless God and see where He takes you[1].”
Whatever God calls his people to do, we can know that he’s in our corner equipping us for service. God’s got your back, because he’s more invested in the sharing of his message than we are, in fact. It’s His message after all.
We might think it’ll never work. We might think we wouldn’t know what to say. We might think it’s just impossible for God to work through us in sharing the message, but –
“Nothing is too hard for Him. Take a step of faith and watch God work through your impossible too[2].”
We might think the future is bleak. There’s an arctic blast ahead, perhaps.
But the reality is, the future is bright.
Sydney’s forecast Monday to Friday this coming week is rain, rain, rain.
Yours in joyful anticipation,
Alison
[1] From the Devotional ‘Chosen for a Purpose’ from Unshakeable by Christine Caine
[2] From the Devotional ‘”What Can I do?”’ from Unshakeable by Christine Caine
