Skip to main content

“I remember thinking, I’ll never be a good enough dad.”

A thought by Craig Groeschel from his book, Dare to Drop the Pose (p. 150). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

I’m sure there is a time that all of us parents have felt that.  Being a dad is a very difficult task, isn’t it?

Craig says, “As hard as I’ve tried, even today I haven’t shaken those feelings.”

He goes on, “Years ago, when I was a timid, young pastor starting our church, a good friend, Dennis, told me something I’ll never forget. After one of my days of particularly deep insecurity, Dennis sensed my struggle and boldly said, ‘God doesn’t choose the prepared. He prepares the chosen.’

“I love that. You don’t have to be ready for God to use you. In fact, you might never feel ready. When God calls you, He’ll prepare you with on-the-job training. With each step, He’ll lead you. If you are unsure of yourself, you’re in great company, and you’re at the top of God’s ‘Potential Disciples’ list.”

He says, “God will use you in spite of your insecurities. And He’ll often use you where you’re most insecure.”

Craig then gets personal, “In what life skill do you feel weakest? Public speaking? Leading? Praying? Witnessing? Teaching? Forgiving? Parenting? God’s grace is all you need. His power is made perfect in your weakness. (See 2 Corinthians 12:9.)”

He then says, “I’ve been teaching for years, and I’m still not a great Bible teacher. I never will be. I’m not that knowledgeable. I struggle with Greek. I’m still weak on biblical history. But I simply bring what I can. God brings the rest, and lives are changed.

“One of my favorite aspects of preaching is what I call ‘the God factor.’ Regularly, people tell me that when I said ‘such-n-such,’ it changed their lives. The funny thing is, I didn’t actually use the words they quote. God custom-designed a message for them. He took my weak words and personalized them by His Spirit. People heard what God was saying, not what I was saying.

“And it works.

“So, do you feel unsure of yourself? Great. God can work more easily with insecurities than with pride. God is ready to use you. And, believe it or not, you’re ready for His use.”

Today is my oldest granddaughter’s birthday.  I’m sure glad I didn’t decide that I didn’t have what it took to be a dad.  God is so good at taking our insecurities and using them.  So, would you not runaway but would you let God grow and use you?  Would you?

Yes, yes!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)   Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle?   Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...
Post a Comment
Read more

“When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life.”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 57). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. To realize that from God’s perspective life is a test goes a long way in determining how you handle your life.   It is important to see that in testing your character is both developed and revealed.   Rick goes on to say that “even the smallest incident has significance for your character development. Every day is an important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God.” So there is a God purpose behind each situation in your life.   Even the bad ones are there to strengthen you and develop you.   You see those bad situations are really good ones because they are there for your good. I start each day with a reminder that God is good.   Not every situation that is going to come in my day is good but because G...
Post a Comment
Read more

“What areas of my personality, background, and physical appearance am I struggling to accept?”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 35). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. Rick posed this question at the end of his chapter, You Are Not an Accident.   In this chapter he deals with the fact that God created you the way you are with a purpose.   In other words you are not an accident.   I am also reading the Apostle John’s view of Jesus and what He said and did while He was here on earth.   In the beginning of Chapter 9 there is a story about a blind man.   And the disciples who were with Him asked Him a good question, “Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind? ”   Have you ever asked the same thing about something in you that you don’t like?   Like that characteristic is a curse or something.   Society has set a standard that is not a standard of God.   Remember, He created you and you are not an accident. Je...
Post a Comment
Read more