I have found that I usually speak or teach on a topic that I feel confident representing. No sense standing in front of people and waxing eloquent over something you have no idea about. Sometimes there's been parts that I don't fully get but for the most part I'd like to think that once I open my mouth, I've spent an appropriate amount of time thinking, reflecting and listening on the topic.
Turns out that wasn't true back in May.
Each summer I get a chance to share a devo with all of the event staff that we hire to serve with our summer programs. It's an opportunity to share my heart and challenge them with some personal and professional development while exploring scripture. To be honest its one of my favorite opportunities I get each year.
This year I posed a somewhat impossible question, one that is certainly open to interpretation but was meant more than anything to set our compass towards true north. If you could only use one word to describe God, what would you pick?
What I told them, what I would still pick, is faithful. Of course you could make any word make sense but for me, if He isn't faithful, it all falls apart. If He isn't faithful, I can't move forward with boldness and confidence. If He isn't faithful, I'm wasting my time. If He isn't faithful it's all an elaborate, over thought bunch of crap.
Faithful. At the end of the day it's what gave Gideon the confidence to go into battle undermanned. It's what gave Isaiah the faith to write words that sounded too good to be true. It's what made Joshua lead people around a city day after day. It's what made Abraham take a walk with his son. It's what well, fill in your own story I'm guessing.
Without boring you with the details it's what gave me the ability this summer to at times simply put one foot in front of the other. It's what humbled me, moved me, compelled me, sustained me and ultimately broke and restored me.
If I had to do it all over again, I'd still give the same devo. In fact I probably wouldn't change any of it. I'd say the same things but I'd better be able to share them from a place of confidence.
I was sharing this with a friend today who spoke the truth to me that now I could offer those words and believe them myself.
Perhaps one of the lessons I needed to learn this summer was that when I spoke those words a few months ago, what I thought I was speaking to provide an anchor for others was me actually casting out words I needed to walk through myself. Words that weren't as grounded for me as I had originally thought. Words I needed to sustain me.
So here's to our own discovery of His faithfulness. And here's to that truth of Him become more real in us. And here's to us resting in those words not just in moments when we are weak but even more so in moments we think we are strong.
Turns out that wasn't true back in May.
Each summer I get a chance to share a devo with all of the event staff that we hire to serve with our summer programs. It's an opportunity to share my heart and challenge them with some personal and professional development while exploring scripture. To be honest its one of my favorite opportunities I get each year.
This year I posed a somewhat impossible question, one that is certainly open to interpretation but was meant more than anything to set our compass towards true north. If you could only use one word to describe God, what would you pick?
What I told them, what I would still pick, is faithful. Of course you could make any word make sense but for me, if He isn't faithful, it all falls apart. If He isn't faithful, I can't move forward with boldness and confidence. If He isn't faithful, I'm wasting my time. If He isn't faithful it's all an elaborate, over thought bunch of crap.
Faithful. At the end of the day it's what gave Gideon the confidence to go into battle undermanned. It's what gave Isaiah the faith to write words that sounded too good to be true. It's what made Joshua lead people around a city day after day. It's what made Abraham take a walk with his son. It's what well, fill in your own story I'm guessing.
Without boring you with the details it's what gave me the ability this summer to at times simply put one foot in front of the other. It's what humbled me, moved me, compelled me, sustained me and ultimately broke and restored me.
If I had to do it all over again, I'd still give the same devo. In fact I probably wouldn't change any of it. I'd say the same things but I'd better be able to share them from a place of confidence.
I was sharing this with a friend today who spoke the truth to me that now I could offer those words and believe them myself.
Perhaps one of the lessons I needed to learn this summer was that when I spoke those words a few months ago, what I thought I was speaking to provide an anchor for others was me actually casting out words I needed to walk through myself. Words that weren't as grounded for me as I had originally thought. Words I needed to sustain me.
So here's to our own discovery of His faithfulness. And here's to that truth of Him become more real in us. And here's to us resting in those words not just in moments when we are weak but even more so in moments we think we are strong.
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