Are you an “up front” person, or would you rather be in the background? Do you listen to someone at the microphone and think, “No way!”?
My junior year of high school, I took a speech class. To this day I’m not sure how I wound up in there. It was an absolutely horrific experience! If the teacher said to speak for 90 seconds, I spoke for 60. If she said 60 seconds, mine was 30. Oh, I had enough material, but it was delivered rapid-fire like the guy reading the small print disclaimer on a TV commercial. And, monotone like that, too. The goal was to sit down before hyperventilating or fainting. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how my name got on the class roster. But, nothing is wasted: at least I knew what NOT to pursue.
Years later, while attending a Women’s Bible Study, a friend (or, so I thought) asked me to take over the Opening for the morning each week. I argued with God daily (I suppose you’ve never done that…) and two weeks later, there I stood behind the microphone, proving Who won the argument. The problem with speaking into a microphone is:
a) people can hear what you say, and
b) you can’t take it back.
What I didn’t know at the time is that God had me on a path and it wasn’t of my own choosing.
In math (not my strong suit, either), you learn adding, then subtracting, then multiplication and then division, but you don’t go from 1 + 1 to figuring square roots. God’s lessons also build on each other. God didn’t put me “up front” to do a welcome, a devotion and some announcements and then the next week send me to teach His Word to a couple hundred people. He maneuvered and massaged it over time. Does God put us in places where He challenges us? You bet! But, He doesn’t leave us alone. He DOES, however, ask us to trust Him and to allow ourselves to be stretched. I discovered that the thing that first had me terror-stricken, He turned into a great source of blessing.
We never know where He’ll lead. But, we can know it will be right. After all, He’s full of surprises. Enjoy the ride!
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
Our God is a God of more! He sees and knows our potential and builds us to be and do His will.
I’m smiling!! Glad you were obedient to experience His surprises!
I pray everyday, O Lord shine through me always through my thoughts, words and deeds that others may always see YOUR GLORY. My Lord is in control of my life, he knows my beginning and my end. Wow, I’m walking through life with Jesus all the way to heaven.
When we lived in Hawaii, I belonged to Toastmasters. You are right that people hear what we say and we can’t take it back. But with God, even though He hears what we say and we can’t take it back, we have the opportunity to ask for forgiveness. At Toastmasters, they just laugh at you.
Had I only been willing to take that speech class……