Have you ever sold yourself short?
One of the fears I had growing up was failure. As a teenager I was hesitant to set myself ambitious goals because I believed I could never reach them. Instead, I settled for goals that I knew were safe.
The people that surround us don’t always help, though they may have perfectly good intentions. For example, my parents were less than encouraging when I didn’t do well on a test (I think this was just a product of the culture they grew up in). When people say negative things about us enough times, we can start believing them, even though they’re untrue.
Abraham’s Dilemma
In today’s Old Testament reading we are introduced to Abraham. Abraham is an old man who lives in a baron region called Canaan (Later Canaan will become the “Promised Land” for the Israelites) without any male offspring to guarantee his lineage. In ancient Near Easter cultures the first born son would be rewarded his family’s inheritance.
When God promised Abraham that he will become the father of a “host of nations,” he will become “exceedingly fertile,” “kings shall stem” from him and the land of Canaan will become the “permanent possession” of his descendants, he must have thought this was a sick joke. Doesn’t God see Abraham’s circumstance?
And yet, Abraham became the father of all the Israelites, the Jewish people, and the spiritual father to billions of Christians.
When We Don’t Listen
Every person that God has ever brought into existence serves a purpose. Unfortunately, some choose to reject God and this purpose never comes to fruition (at least not in the individual that rejected Him).
It’s worth noting, that we are not puppets being controlled by a puppet master, having every life circumstance predetermined for us. A priest once explained that our relationship with God is like an intricate dance, with God as the leader. When we misstep he tries to pull us back into step. This repeats until one day we become in sync with God’s purpose.
In the book of Genesis, Abraham “missteps” several times, doubting God’s covenant with him.
The Grace Zone
Being in sync with God’s purpose is what I call the “grace zone.” In the “grace zone”, we feel fulfilled and we start seeing the context of our lives through God’s eyes. When we arrive at this point, we have a better sense of how we ought to maneuver in life.
I’m a big soccer fan. One of my favourite things to do is watch Leonel Messi move off the ball. He is always in the zone and in harmony with rhythm of the game. His eyes are always moving, he’s always aware of where the ball and every player on the field are and he always takes the right amount of steps to exploit a vulnerability in the other team.
Despite always being “in the zone,” Messi still is occasionally injured and is exhausted by the end of the game, but he still loves the game.
For me, being in the “grace zone” is feeling fulfilment and excitement about conquering the next challenge, even while sustaining hardships.
As I reflect on my life, if I did not make the decision to intentionally entrust my life over to God eleven years ago, I would have missed out on a lot because I would have sold myself short.
Let us pray,
Almighty God, We thank you for loving us. In a world where we can constantly feel like we are being derailed, we pray for your guidance. Inspire us to never settle for mediocrity and to live purpose-filled lives. Amen.
