HE DOESN'T NEED YOU...BUT HE DOES WANT YOU

Here I {Mandy} sit on Friday. Realizing it's "my turn" to post and I am speechless.

I want t o come to you with something meaty and pithy and poignant.

I want to offer you a little gem to tuck away.

I'd like to clickety-clack pearls of wisdom that will make you nod your head, put your hand to your chest and lip "profound".

But alas...here I sit in all my broken emptiness, devoid of anything really good of my own merits.

I know that whatever it is I wish to offer you isn't for your benefit or to glorify God. Not really.

I got nothin'.

Any wisdom that may grace your screen would be in spite of and despite me.

And it's in these kinds of moments that it is driven home--once again--that I have absolutely nothing to offer to the world. Nothing.

And I am reminded that it is not in my strength that I do anything good. It is in God's.

It's humbling.

But...lest I have a pity party and sit in misery, I am reminded that it is people like me that God chose to use time and again throughout history to make a profound difference.

If you look closely at the men and women throughout history and in the Bible who are considered the "men of renown" or after God's own heart, you'll often find some less-than-stellar characters. Some were outcasts, uneducated, rough around the edges.

All of them had colorful pasts and many came from backgrounds that don't typify being a disciple to the Savior of the world.

And the neat thing is...God still works in that same way. He chooses ordinary men and women every day to do extraordinary things. And while it may be counter-intuitive that God doesn't look for those who are qualified, it makes perfect sense when you remember the real reason we all serve. We serve to glorify the One true King. What better way to serve Him and to demonstrate His power and might than to let others see Him work through us in all of our brokenness and less than imperfection?

And the only true joy I can have is when my words or actions point others to Him and away from myself. After all, if anyone looks too closely at me, they'll see the decoupage that is my life: the shattered pieces being held together by God's Modge Podge. :)

So if you are feeling today like God could never use you to bring glory to Himself or to help another...know that could not be further from the truth. We all have life experiences and talents given to us by God Himself to help us grow but also to act as a testimony for others.

"But what about the time I [insert overtly anti-Christian action here]??"

No, God doesn't lure us into sinful activity so that we can later add that experience to our testimony. We choose to do the things that are displeasing to God.

BUT...

God is the One who works it all out and brings us back to Himself through grace and forgiveness. And that's when we can share our story with someone else and [hopefully] aid them in their journey toward forgiveness and restoration.

And it is because of our imperfections that God's perfection shines through. If we had it all together (and NO ONE does. NOT even that woman at the PTA meeting who wears Prada in size 2, has perfect nails and never a hair out of place and her children are perfect angels with nary a snot face or lunch dripping and crusty on their shirts...) God's perfection would blend into the background. But when He uses us...the less than crowd...those struggling to keep it together and failing miserably every day, but still trying to get this thing called "Christianity" right...His glory is what others see.

And you know what...that "perfect mom" at the PTA meeting...she may look like she has it all together, but inside she may be one slippery strand away from falling apart.

So let's take what we have, all that we have to offer, and give it up to Him to use as He will. Let's stop looking for ways to meet our significance, and instead focus on ways to bring Him glory. In the end, the really, really neat thing about God, is that He is so faithful and gracious and fills us up 100 fold. And the more we serve Him, the less we'll feel the need to seek out fulfillment.

I pray for each and every one of you to find your significance in Him. Whatever talents He has given you, I pray that you will use them to serve Him. I also pray that you realize He has given you talents and a purpose. He has a plan for you, and in the words of the Casting Crowns song In Me: 

How refreshing to know You don't need me
How amazing to find that you want me

He wants you.

Please take a moment to read through the rest of the lyrics of this song. It's such a beautiful story of how God uses each one of us and allows us the joy of serving Him. 

In Me

If you ask me to leap
Out of my boat on the crashing waves
If You ask me to go
Preach to the lost world that Jesus saves

I'll go, but I cannot go alone
Cause I know I'm nothing on my own
But the power of Christ in me makes me strong
Makes me strong

Cause when I'm weak, You make me strong
When I'm blind, You shine Your light on me
Cause I'll never get by living on my own ability
How refreshing to know You don't need me
How amazing to find that you want me
So I'll stand on Your truth, and I'll fight with Your strength
Until You bring the victory, by the power of Christ in me

If You ask me to run
And carry Your light into foreign land
If You ask me to fight
Deliver Your people from Satan's hand

To reach out with Your hands
To learn through Your eyes
To love with the love of a savior
To feel with Your heart
And to think with Your mind
I'd give my last breath for Your glory

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