LMKTM: Trying Anyway

It was an usual Saturday morning at our house. Breakfast had come and gone with no drama (i.e. no spilt juice, no breakdowns over food selection, and no in-fighting among brothers), and I was getting to put my feet up and indulge in a book. The boys had decided to take themselves up to their playroom and, as the name of the room would suggest, play. I sighed contentedly and dove into my book of choice. It wasn’t long, however, before I began to catch snips of conversation floating down to my ears from their little voices above.

Joey: “Gavin, we’re going to read books today.”

Gavin: “Book!”

I could not help the smile that split my face. It was absolutely precious to me to hear that my little guys were so set on doing a task they full-well knew they weren’t trained to accomplish. Joey kept calling down with status reports throughout the morning, informing me of just how many books he had “read.” It warmed my heart, but it did more than that: it challenged me.

I thought about how many times I’ve whined to God about how unqualified I am for a certain task. I remembered the times I’ve felt so defeated before I even got out of the gate, that I simply gave up. Surely, I’d reason to myself, God won’t hold it against me, since I obviously am not cut out for this task to begin with. As I listened to my sweet babies try their best to sound out words and fill in blanks with their amazing imaginations that their lack of academics left, I teared up a little. They were trying so hard, and were so proud of their efforts. They were undaunted by the fact that they couldn’t read. I never once heard them complain that their skill set was more aligned to running and racing matchbox cars as opposed to reading. They simply plugged along to their little heart’s content, proudly “reading” upwards of 14 books (well, per their own calculations, anyway).

My little men inspired me that day. Today, try obeying the call you feel God has placed on your life, instead of telling Him how He got it wrong when He asked you to do that task in the first place. It was never about your qualifications, but simply, God seeking out a willing and ready heart who will obey His voice to bring His purposes to this earth. You can do it, because He is the one doing it through You, today, and always.