Clenched fists. Heavy sighs. Rolling eyes. And short words.
Almost every day.
Math.
I just cannot convince her….
She doesn’t have to like it.
She doesn’t have to do it perfectly.
She doesn’t have to do it as well as anybody else.
She only has to be willing…
To try.
To learn.
To listen.
To obey.
To do her best.
And, yet….
I look at others and see the ways God uses them, and I wonder:
Am I as good?
Am I as talented?
Am I as able?
When the real question is:
Am I as willing?
Am I willing to try, even when I am afraid to fail?
Am I willing to learn, even from my mistakes?
Am I willing to listen to the still small voice that directs my paths?
Am I willing to obey even when the path is leading away from where I think I should go?
Am I willing to do my best and stop comparing it to everyone else’s?
Because God uses the willing.
David did not defeat Goliath because he was the strongest warrior in Israel. He defeated Goliath because he was willing to fight him.
Noah did not survive the flood because he was a great sailor but because he was willing to build a boat.
I imagine they were scared. Don’t you think they doubted?
But they fought in spite of fear.
They didn’t despair in doubt.
And their willingness made the way….
For God to work in them, through them, in spite of them.
And ours does, too.
Five Minute Friday took me a few more minutes than five this week, but I don’t think anyone at FMF will mind. It’s a grace-filled, bring-your-words-and-don’t-be-scared-to-share-them kind of community. Join us at Lisa-Jo’s!
You could have been writing these words about my granddaughter. They fit her perfectly. Especially about math! But you are so right. We just need to be willing. And I am sure those men you spoke of were not only willing but also had to have a lot of Faith in God.
http://smidgensbitsandsnippets.blogspot.com/2014/03/i-will-be-willingor-not.html
I think faith is the key to willingness. We might not know what God is doing, but we believe he is good.
I am visiting from Lisa-Jo’s today and I am so glad I stopped by. God has been stirring this realization up in me as well… it’s only a recent thought of revelation because somehow I had convinced myself that everyone in the Bible had this great faith… that successful (fill in the blank) have a boldness and confidence that I lack. Nope… scared is the new brave and we are learning to be willing and to do it anyway! Great post!
Thank you! I’m so glad you stopped by!
Love Love Love!!!! Amazing how we learn of our own hearts when seeing them mirrored in our children’s eyes! Thank you for sharing your beautiful words!!
Thank you for visiting! Sometimes I’m pretty sure I learn more from my children than they’ll ever learn from me!
Wonderful job, Cha! Love you!
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog (poets and saints) and for your kind words. Thought I would pop over here and check out your FMF post. Your words described last night for us. I realized, as I encouraged my daughter to learn her subtraction, that the things that are challenging for us are the things we don’t want to do. We aren’t willing. Our children are like a mirror for us and it is humbling.