What Can I Offer?

Do you ever find yourself taking a look around and thinking, “What am I doing?” In your efforts to help people, do you sometimes get sidetracked considering your own shortcomings? Do you ever get caught in the trap of thinking that you’re no better than anyone else, wondering, “What can I offer?”

That kind of thinking stinks. It’s wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

There’s nothing perfect on my side of this blog. As I sit here and prepare this post, I can tell you – there are dishes in my sink, a pile of laundry waiting to be folded, more laundry to wash, dinner is not prepared (although slightly planned!), the dogs need a bath, the lawn needs mowed. Best of all? I’m not even home to tend to all those things! I’m sitting in the waiting room at my son’s therapy center. All those things have to wait. They are certainly all a priority, but I am right where I’m supposed to be right now, and that list of things that need to be done is only a small testimony to the imperfections that make up my life. They get overwhelming and I get frustrated about them. I look at all that has to be done and think, “Why on earth am I even trying to think that I would have anything to offer anyone else?”

And spots like those – where we start to get convinced that we’re no better than anyone else and have nothing to offer them – are where the devil sits, hoping that he can sidetrack us with thoughts about our imperfection(s!).

But that is not what God asks us to do. He doesn’t ask us to sit in the muck and mire and wallow in our imperfections. He asks us to fix our eyes on Him as we go through our days, our tough moments, our lives! (Hebrews 12: 1,2). He has placed something special within each of us, meant to be shared with others.

So how can we battle the nagging reminders of all our imperfections? How can we stand up and say, “I am MORE than this?” Three small words: Stop. Pray. Rest.

STOP: Learn to recognize the thinking in our own minds – pay attention to those thoughts – and when they come, stop. Stand still and think, “This is not going to be my focus.” Sometimes we just let the thoughts continue without acknowledging them. Guess what? If we don’t actively work to get rid of them, they won’t go away. They will sit in there and we will continue to have them because we don’t have a plan to block them or send them away.

PRAY: Talk to God. He wants to hear from us – about the good and the not-so-good. Ask God to help you focus on thoughts that are of Him, not thoughts that will bog you down. Thank Him for being your refuge and fortress. Thank Him for the special gift He has placed inside of you and ask Him for opportunities to share that with others.

REST: So we’ve stopped, we’ve prayed. Now, the one that is probably the hardest: Rest. If we’re constantly on the run, doing all the things that overwhelm us and leaving us feeling imperfect in some form or fashion, how are we going to change that by doing the same things over and over? What if you and I took just 15 minutes and put our feet up and had a short rest to bask in the peace that God wants us to have? How might that change our outlook? I know – you don’t have time. I hear you. Neither do I, which is also a lie from the devil. We have time. We take care of so many other things, and other people, but we neglect ourselves. That HAS to change.

Let’s consider for a moment – what gives us worth and value? Is it the fact that our dishes get clean and our kitchen is spotless? Are we of more worth because we make it through that mountain of laundry and get the dogs bathed? OR…does our worth and value come from Jesus? Yes, I would love to have an empty sink because all the dishes are clean, and I would love to have the dogs bathed the moment they need it, and I’d love to finally make it through that pile of laundry. But if I’m so focused on my to-do list, am I leaving any room for what God’s plan is?

I have had some times where I am convinced I talked to someone due to a divine appointment that God set up. Maybe that person had an encouraging word for me, or maybe I was able to help them. If my value came from clean dishes, meals prepared ahead of time, a perfectly mowed yard, I may have missed out on a lot of great conversations and blessings with others. But if my value and worth comes from God, I look at each opportunity as a way to minister in His name. I do have something to offer - you also have something to offer. It is that something special that God has put into each of us. And He wants us to share that with others!

Let me encourage you – the dishes won’t wash themselves, they will wait for you. The laundry won’t grow legs and walk away from you – it will wait. Remember that your worth and value comes from God – be open and listening for what He has for you. Stop, Pray, and Rest when the doubts and imperfections start to pile up and ask God to fill you with reminders of who you are in His eyes. Ask Him to give you opportunities to share the many things that you have to offer. And He will. He WILL!

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