But God...

But God, I am the least in my family. Not only that, but my family is the least in all of Israel,” was Gideon’s response to God having called him to lead Israel in the defeat of the Midianites.','“But God, I can’t talk,” Moses said in response to God having called him to lead Israel out of 400 years of bondage. Moses had a speech impediment. “But God, I am the least in my family. Not only that, but my family is the least in all of Israel,” was Gideon’s response to God having called him to lead Israel in the defeat of the Midianites. Even some of the greatest (men and women of God) have struggled with inadequacy. Inadequacy is something that rears its ugly head when we are about to get promoted. I have become convinced that the #1 reason most believers experience lifeless Christianity is because of this very thing—inadequacy. When we are challenged individually or called to do some great task or even a small task, inadequacy will scratch its way forward to be included in the first words that come out of our mouths. The moment we begin to look at how we are not able to do something is the moment we cripple our ability for greatness. Several months ago I listened to one of John C. Maxwell’s audiobooks. He was talking about different laws of Leadership. The first law that he refers to is called the “Law of the lid.” It has to do with the leadership lid in our lives. We can only lead until we hit our lid. It’s impossible to lead beyond our ability and desire. It’s a simple law, yet it is immovable. Recently I was laying in bed one night feeling overwhelmed with my life and responsibilities. I jokingly said that I have 8 or more “plates” spinning at the same time. The pace to keep the plates spinning was wearing on me and I could feel it. Right there in bed, I recognized that I had hit my “lid!” We may ask, “How do I know if I can do what the Lord has asked me to do?” In Numbers 13, Israel was on the threshold of one of the greatest fulfillments in history. They journeyed from the land of the Egyptians, where they had resided for over 400 years, to the doorstep of land that was flowing with milk and honey. The spies had just returned from a secret mission. Moses and the elders were eagerly awaiting the report. As the spies were giving their report, the people were stirred into confusion and frustration. Grief settled in their hearts. 10 of the 12 spies gave a report that the land was indeed flowing with abundance, but giants were in the land. What stopped them from going in was this statement found in verse 33: “We were small in our own eyes, therefore, we were small in their eyes.” Their perception of themselves drove them back into the wilderness for 40 more years! In the 1930’s, America was going through one of its greatest trials in her short history—the Great Depression. Little did we know that the stage was being set for greatness. Three very unlikely men found themselves on a team that would play the role of helping the American People get back on their feet again. One was Charles Howard, a successful auto dealer whose son had died in an accident, and whose wife had also left him over the grief. Another was Red Pollard, an abandoned child from the Great Depression who became a survivor and had major episodes of rage and anger. The last was Tom Smith, a quiet man who kept to himself and didn’t have any friends. The main character in this story was a horse named Seabiscuit. This horse was considered extremely lazy and worthless in the world of horse racing. Seabiscuit’s life was an interesting one. No trainer was successful at making him a premier racing horse, even though he came from a very good line of racing horses. The way the horse ran was horrible. Many described that one of his legs would fling out to the side as he ran as if he were trying to swat a fly. He also lacked form and technique for racing. Since Seabiscuit showed no great signs of being a winner, they put him in training races against other horses. Towards the end of the races, they would force Seabiscuit to lose, so that the other horses’ confidence would be boosted. So, race after race, he would lose. He had been trained to lose. A good racing horse stood around 18 hands high. One hand was equivalent to 4 inches. A pony was around 12 hands high. Seabiscuit stood at about 15 hands high. The reality was that this horse was a borderline pony! Soon enough they found no more use for Seabiscuit. So, they sold him for $2000. Tom Smith saw something in this horse and persuaded Charles Howard to buy it. What happened next is history. Seabiscuit went on to become one of the greatest racehorses of all time. He didn’t have great form or technique, was dramatically shorter, and his jockey was too big and heavy! Jockeys were known for being small and light because if they were small, they were less weight for the horse to carry around the track. In this case, it was the opposite. Red Pollard was taller and weighed more than the average jockey. One of Seabiscuit’s greatest strengths was his ability not to be intimidated. Seabiscuit would normally break out of the starting gate first and gain the lead, but on the backstretch, something would happen. The jockey would pull Seabiscuit back and allow the contenders to catch up. They learned that if the horse met eye to eye with the opposing horses, the other horses had no chance of winning. It was described as a “staredown.” Seabiscuit would literally taunt the other horse by letting it get ahead, but then Seabiscuit would catch up. Finally, the opposing horse would break under the weight of intimidation. Seabiscuit would go on to win the race. In one race, another horse named War Admiral broke under the weight of intimidation. The race ruined War Admiral’s career and he never regained his status as a top racing horse. The horse’s racing career ended shortly thereafter. Seabiscuit overcame his own inadequacy and became a national hero! It is becoming more apparent than ever that inadequacy can kill the plans that God has for us. The Bible makes it clear that whenever Israel would cry out for freedom from bondage, God would respond and find someone to lead them out. When God calls you and me to do great things, IT IS possible because someone in the world is calling out for freedom! We are not allowed to make up a list of inadequacies or shortcomings and let that determine what we are capable of. So, as we aim to end our “But God . . .” comments, let us strive to break into the area of the unknown and do what God KNOWS we are capable of!