I'm Good At It!

Happy Monday! I hope you had a lovely week and weekend.  During the weekend, a friend of mine shared this with me. I found it insightful and I thought I'd share with my friends too :-)

You know that way when you see something new in a bible story you've read dozen of times and you wonder why you've never seen it before?!  Well, check out Mark 6:48 [...He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them...]. When I recently read the verse it seemed to me that Mark may be suggesting that Jesus' intention was to walk past the disciples as they struggled in the boat? The idea that they could be struggling, He knows they're struggling and yet chooses to pass by is quite surprising and "worrying" in a way. But I've often thought that, with many of them being fishermen, a boat was the one place where they felt experienced, confident and self-sufficient. i.e. it was an arena where they were tempted to depend on themselves so maybe Jesus just left them to it? It's quite a scary concept and has been challenging me to pray a bit more, especially in areas in my life I feel proficient, so I don't miss out on Jesus and His support!

After I read this, a status message I read recently came to mind. It read something along this line "I am good at what I do." In some areas of my life I am like this person. Probably even a bit more self-confident than they. I rarely ask for help. I like to figure new things out myself. I like to work things out on my own. I feel I learn and grow stronger that way.  And this attitude has its benefits in a way, I do not have to rely on being shown things to learn new skills or to grow in my work. However, if I already am so self-reliant when I am clueless, imagine what it would be like for something I feel I am already good at!

Perhaps you are like me and these fishermen. Often tempted to rely on ourselves because we feel 'Yes, we can!' do it (Thank you Obama and Bob by the way). This is not limited to work only. Perhaps you already have those who tell you how good a spouse, friend, sibling etc you are. These people already make you feel you are doing a good job with your relationship with them but how often do you ask for help with these relationships? I believe God likes to share all things with us - the good and the bad, the easy and difficult, the areas of strengths and weaknesses. Imagine having a friend who only shares the sad and weak areas of their lives with you. How wearisome they would be! A friend who shares their happy days with you, you will definitely welcome with open arms during their sad days.

I remember a man spoke about a journey with his wife someday. It was the easiest of journeys and not one that would cause even the worst of drivers to panic. At the  beginning of their journey, his wife asked that they pray. Mr dismissed it saying it was not necessary seeing this was an easy journey so they did not pray. Basically, he was saying he could do this without any help- he definitely does not need a miracle to reach his destination! He recalled this event saying he has never had a more difficult journey in his life and now relies on God more often.

I am not saying that its wrong to be confident in your areas of strength. Rather, what I am trying to say is this: "Everything is worth committing to God especially those areas of proficiency." Jesus did nothing without His Father. If He - the All-sufficient One needed Him how much more we mortals? Its Monday and you are probably one of the best teachers, photographer, graphics designer, cleaner or even Prime Minister on the block however, I encourage you to stop to commit your work and week to God and see how much further you will go -at your work and with Him.

 Always xx