Only twice did my Dad say to me, “I’m proud of you.” But once without realizing it he gave me a compliment, which I treasure today. He thought he was dissing me for attempting something I’d never done. The engine in my 1969 Oldsmobile was knocking. I knew a push rod and hydraulic lifter needed replacing, but I was not experienced in overhauling an engine. “So what,” I thought. “It’s parked not drivable.” I grabbed my tool box and started removing bolts. My dad happened to drop by. Seeing what I was doing and knowing my lack of experience, he blurted out, “You are just like your mother. You will try anything.” He meant it as a criticism, but to me it translated into a compliment, which still encourages me. He didn’t realize it, but he also contributed to my ‘try anything’ attitude. As a youth, every time I told him, “I can’t,” he would scold me “Son, there is no such thing as can’t.”
We live in an age of specialist. They serve useful roles; receive honors, awards, even worldwide recognition for their works. No one will complain about that. However, this can produce a negative influence on some. The less skilled, the less educated, the less talented—those with no specialty may assume that this disqualifies them from an effective role in society and even in the church. Paul writes my favorite verses, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God (1Co 1:27-29). Even after years of ministry experience, I sometimes feel inadequate; these verses remind me that in God’s eyes, I qualify.
Throughout the Bible, men tried excusing themselves, by telling God, “I can’t.” Moses said “I can’t go to Pharaoh, who am I? I do not speak well.” Gideon responded to God’s call to deliver Israel, “I can’t, my family is the weakest, and I am the youngest.” The Lord said to Jeremiah, “I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah protested, “I can’t. I don’t know how to speak. I am too young.” In the end, God did use them to accomplish His work. But not one of them could later boost, “Look what I did.” They knew that only through God’s power had they completed their assigned task.
Jesus taught a parable about a man going on a journey and before leaving, he entrusted his servants with various amounts of money each according to his ability. To one he gave ten talents, to one five, and to the other he gave one talent. Two servants immediately invested their talents. However, the man with one talent buried his. When the master returned, he tried excusing himself because of fear. The master called him evil and lazy. Put yourself in the place of this servant with only one. What would you do? Invest or bury? Churches often struggle because they cannot motivate those with only one—one talent, one spiritual gift, or ability they could use for building God’s Kingdom. Many who I’ve tried inspiring felt inferior, “I can’t. What good is my limited ability?” They live their life with an ‘I can’t’ attitude. If God has only given you one gift, are you investing or burying it?
Note the word Jesus used when pointing out the missing component necessary for harvesting the spiritual fields. He said the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers (Luke 10:2). He did not say specialist, experts, professors, multi-gifted individuals, or the wise. No, the Lord needs workers, nothing special about the word. It means a person who laborers or works.
Peter says that God gives every believer at least one spiritual gift. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another . . . (1 Pet. 4:10). The Holy Spirit may give some Christians more—five, maybe ten. But no one can say, “I can’t do anything.” I find it even more troubling, knowing multi-gifted Christians living with an ‘I can’t’ mentality and burying their gifts. We can miss the fact that Paul lived with shortcomings that could have caused him to give up, just like us. He pleaded with the Lord three times to take away his thorn in the flesh, which he considered a weakness. God responded, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Years later, while in prison, he wrote to the Philippian church, “I can. . .”
I can what? “Do all things. . .” How? “. . . through Him who strengthens me (Phil 4:13.) I praise the Lord for my Mom’s example and even for my Dad’s admonishments about no such thing as ‘can’t.’ Ask yourself, why should a believer filled with the Holy Spirit ever say, I can’t?
Sustaining Word for the Week: Are you foolish? Are you weak? Are you a base thing of the world and despised? Then you qualify and God has chosen you. And remember ‘you can’.