You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘insecurity’ tag.
You are a spring in the garden, a fountain of pure water, and a refreshing stream from Mount Lebanon. Song of Solomon 4:15 (CEV)
Stagnant water.
Just reading those words conjure up the rancid odor, the slimy film, the repulsiveness of it. It could have been on a walk through the woods on a stifling summer day or while cleaning up some deserted lot full of tires and other ‘water catching’ containers.
Stagnant water breeds disease. Stagnant water squelches life. Stagnant water pushes us away. Stagnant water never satisfies. Stagnant water puts within us a desire to find fresh water.
Sometimes life can be like that stagnant pool we try to avoid. You can’t put your finger on it really, the source that is. You just feel flat. For a writer or speaker it can be those times when you stare at the computer screen or paper for what seems like hours wondering what comes next.
Stagnancy of the spirit. It’s tough. It takes away your creativity. It can make you irritable, impatient, restless. Stagnancy of the heart drives us to look for more in our relationships, more in our job contentment, more in our spiritual walk. At its worst, stagnancy of the heart can drive us to lose the will to live at all.
You rarely see condominiums built next to an ugly bog, or see people gather to take pictures in front of a swamp. On the other hand, people yearn for the freshness of a mountain stream, a shooting fountain or a waterfall plummeting over a cliff. These are signs of life, of beauty, of freshness!
In one of the greatest loves stories of all time, the ‘beloved’ is described as a spring in a garden, a fountain of purity, a refreshing stream from the loftiest mountain. As one scholar wrote, “Though the fountain is lowly, the source is lofty; fed by the perpetual snows of Lebanon, refreshingly cool, fertilizing the gardens of Damascus. It springs upon earth; its source is heaven. It is now not “sealed,” but open “streams”.
It’s easy, during those ‘stagnant times’ of our walk to forget the source of our vitality. The follower of Jesus Christ need never fret those times of occasional stagnancy for we know that the freshness of our souls, the vitality of our hearts, doesn’t rest on our own abilities or on the environment we live in.
May we always be the conduit of freshness from heaven. May our hearts overflow with the fresh water of God’s Holy Spirit. May others see in us a fresh mountain stream with its source in heaven and not a stagnant pond intent on focusing on ourselves.
PRAYER: Father God. I confess that there are times in my life when I allow the cares of life to cause me to be stagnant. Fill me to overflowing with the freshness of your Spirit so that I can feel revived and others can benefit from your love. Amen.
Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:7 (NLT)
Feeling inadequate?
One time I was coaching basketball. It was one of the first games of the season and the first game of ‘school ball’ for the girls on my team. Early in the game one of the kids who’d shown some real potential in practice got the ball just outside the lane. She had an open shot at the basket, but looked to pass the ball off to one of her teammates, all of whom were well guarded. I called to her from the bench and said, “Shoot the ball!”
It was as if the thought had never occurred to her. She looked at the basket tentatively and then threw up a shot that hit nothing but net. That was over 15 years ago now and I still remember the look of jubilation, shock and excitement in her face. Later she told me she didn’t think she could make the basket. She went on to be one of my top scorers.
So what kept her from shooting the ball in a game when she did it often in practice? A feeling of inadequacy. I knew she had the skills and ability. I’d seen it in practice. She on the other hand had herself believing that her skill level wasn’t adequate.
The most successful people in the world are those who overcome their feelings of inadequacy and move forward in spite of them. They see a problem as a challenge, not an obstacle. They have no time for the reasons that something can’t be done, the look for ways it CAN be done.
When Jesus left the disciples on the hillside outside Jerusalem he reminded them of their challenge while he was gone. They would be his witnesses. This bunch of uneducated, obscure men and women were left with the challenge of starting a whole new movement. But he didn’t leave them without power. He didn’t leave them without the gifts they would need to accomplish the task of building relationships and teaching about him.
Paul says, “Now you have every spiritual gift you need.”
Few outside ministry realize the huge feelings of inadequacy we in ministry face every week. Our reminder, whether our ministry is up front or in the corner; at the church or in the workplace; as a career person or a stay-at-home parent is this. You have all the gifts you need to accomplish your task. Go in the power of the Holy Spirit and act within your giftedness to do the work of reconciliation.
PRAYER: Father, even though I ‘know’ you have empowered me, I still feel weak. I still fight the false feelings of inadequacy. Help me to live in the power of your Spirit and the realm of my giftedness in Jesus name, Amen.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
When the Lord came to a young man named Gideon he wasn’t approaching someone who we’d see as ‘hero’ material. By his own admission he wasn’t someone who’d stand out in a crowd. No six-pack abs. No fancy car. No mile long resume describing all the people he’d saved. He was just a simple farmer from an obscure family.
In fact, when the angel of the Lord came to Gideon he was threshing wheat in a winepress so he could hide from the enemy! Hardly a sign of courage and valor. Certainly not the way you’d expect a national hero to act. We’d rather see our hero standing atop a hillside announcing to the enemy hidden among the rocks that he was going to thresh wheat as well as anyone who tried to interrupt him!
But, that wasn’t Gideon. At least that’s not the Gideon at the beginning of the story. But then God came along and changed everything. He told Gideon that he was going to be someone great. He, Gideon, was going to be a national hero. Gideon, like any of us, doubted God’s word. Some chastise Gideon for putting God through a series of tests to see if the message was truly of God. I don’t. I see the fleece idea Gideon had as a sign of cautious wisdom. “Okay God, if it’s you make the fleece wet and the ground dry.” [done!] “Okay, God, one more test. Make the fleece dry and the ground wet. [done again.]
From that point on, it doesn’t seem like Gideon has much doubt of his capabilities. Not with the God of peace at his side. Not when he tore down the idols of his neighbors. Not when God told him to whittle down his army to 32,000 to 300!
What was it that gave this simple farmer the courage to conquer his enemies? Peace. Not peace in his own abilities to get the job done. Peace in his God. Gideon learned that when a person has God at his side there doesn’t need to be any worry or fear. Even in the most overwhelming situation God will find a way of deliverance.
That’s grace. Grace says that even though I don’t deserve it, God will walk with me and give me the strength to overcome whatever is before me. Peace is the result of trusting in God’s power, not our own.
PRAYER: Father God, there are so many times when I struggle and fail. I worry about the future. I worry about my ability to overcome the stuff that lies ahead of me. Thank you that success in my life isn’t based on my ability, but on your power. Empower me by your Spirit to grow in relationship with Jesus so that I can experience the power you have for me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 