Choosing To Limp (Guest post by Lyn Smith)
lyn smith
Choosing To Limp
Recently I heard a well-intentioned Christian speaker give tips on how to communicate effectively. I walked away having learned how to come up with a hook or a gimmick that pulls in the audience. Which begs the question: If God has given us a message and called us to go, do we need gimmicks?
Don’t get me wrong. I am all about preparation and excellence when speaking for and about Jesus. I understand marketing and creativity. But at what point do we let go of the need to “make it happen” and rest in what God wants to do?
God uniquely wires each of us to accomplish His purposes. He gives us talents, personality, spiritual gifts and resources. Because we are equipped in those ways, we can “succeed” to some extent on our own or with minimal interaction with God. Sadly, that is where many people settle, never fulfilling all God has for them. God’s plans for us are beyond what we can ask or imagine. Why settle for small “victories” in our own strength when God promises mind-blowing results in His?
Consider Jacob’s experience
Jacob was quiet but observant. Crafty and savvy. Armed with his mother’s favor and God’s call on his life, he began to manipulate people and circumstances to “make it happen.” And it did, albeit with some hefty price tags. He got the girl he wanted and great wealth – life was good! Except he was not free. He was controlled by Laban and held hostage by his sins of deceit.
God could not fully unleash Himself in Jacob’s life until Jacob understood that he was not enough. Until he realized his inadequacy. Until he knew his need for God. Until he stopped trying on his own. Until he lived every day desperately dependent.
It took a wrestling match with God and a painful wrenching of the hip to end Jacob’s self-sufficiency. No longer the youthful, swaggering schemer, he approached his brother with humility and a limp.
When we truly encounter God, when we wrestle with Him and surrender, when He marks us in a way we will never forget, we have a message that does not need gimmicks or hooks. Take a lesson from Jacob and lead from the hip. Are you leading from your natural abilities or your God-touched place of surrender?
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Share some examples of natural abilities we all tend to rely on too much…
