I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13
Do you have deep feelings of insecurity that are hidden carefully in your life? Or do you feel that you alone are plagued with a weakness of some kind? I have good news for you- - - you’re not alone! These are feelings that many, many people wrestle with. Sometimes it’s hidden behind the cocky blustering of a person who seems egocentric, but in fact is covering up for feelings of being unloved or unaccepted. Other times feelings of inferiority are manifest by someone who instead - pulls back and trims their sails- - - they don’t want to expose their heart out of fear of being hurt. Surprisingly this shy person is feeling the same deep personal feelings as the blustering extrovert- - - “Who am I?” And- - - “If people ‘really’ knew me would they love and accept me?”
Geneticists tell us that the whole human family, from every race, can be traced back to a single mother whom they reluctantly call Eve. Their point is- - - we are all cut out of the same mold. So the good news I have for you is that you are not alone in your deepest darkest feelings. We have many of the same fears, temptations and creative ideas as a person sitting in prison or a person receiving a Nobel Prize for being a genius in some field. Because according to the Scriptures (and to science) we are all cut out of the same mold! How many of you have had a great idea that you never acted on only to find out later that someone else had the same idea and seized the opportunity?
When I was a youth pastor, many years ago, I enjoyed helping teenagers who were wrestling with an inferiority complex. When I saw a young person that felt like they had nothing to offer- - - I just loved getting to know them and making a lifelong friend. This was the process I used:
- I prayed for them every day thanking God for their life until I was just bursting with enthusiasm for their God-given potential.
- I used every opportunity to let them know how much I cared for them and encouraged them to wholeheartedly pursue God’s plan for their life. This included writing letters to them, talking to them on the phone, using them in sermons as an illustration of the good things God was doing, and being present at their special events (games, concerts, skateboarding competitions, etc.).
- I tried to make friends with their friends and influence them with the excitement that God gave me for their life. That meant their parents, brothers and sisters, and friends at school.
- I tried to seize every opportunity of challenge to be there for them- - - when they received a bad report card or made a mistake. Wow! This was my God-inspired moment to let them know all that I had been praying for them about.
I had such enthusiasm for this because most of the time growing up I myself was an arrogant jerk as I remember it (my mom says otherwise, but she doesn’t know everything I did during my teenage years. I’m trying to break it to her slowly.) I found Christ in a new, fresh way at seventeen- - - and something really happened. I had a “Scrooge” experience. I realized that I still had time to turn around all that I had done wrong if I would only let God work through my life. I envisioned people really excited about Philippians 4:13 so they could quote Paul, but mean it for themselves.
Well, that was a long time ago but I truly loved the job of being a youth pastor. It’s really the job that we all have as followers of Christ- - - to be so excited about what God is doing in our lives that it overflows and we pray for it to happen in the lives of others. Let’s do that this week!
Your friend for the rest of my life,
Pastor Tim White
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