I felt inadequate for a few moments. Lacking. Insufficient. Not enough.
Curtains.
Not really an intimidating word you might say. Plowing, mountain climbing, skydiving, big
game hunting… those are intimidating words for sure. But curtains? They are to
me. I need curtains. Café curtains to be exact. And when after failing to find what I wanted in stores and online, I was frustrated. There seemed to be only one option
left. Homemade curtains. See, I’m not even sure that’s what you call curtains
and other fabric things that people make themselves. I’m pretty sure curtains are not considered “from scratch”. But then again, I digress.
Any whoo, I need curtains but instead of taking home economics in high school I
chose the vocation rotation – wood working, auto shop, etc. Yep, I was a
tom-girl.
And it's funny how after 47 years, I still sometimes have trouble asking for help.
But after someone offered to lend me a sewing machine - and that only resulting
in making sweat beads pop out on both my upper lip and under my arm pits! – I decided
to take the plunge. And I mean in a HUGE way.
So I swallowed hard and I posted my need - gulp - on Facebook.
So I swallowed hard and I posted my need - gulp - on Facebook.
In front of God and everybody.
I debated it of course, self consciously. Will someone be aghast that as married
woman I don’t know how to sew? Will they think that it’s crazy and just not
right that I do not now, and never have owned a sewing machine? Don’t all good
moms and wives know how to sew’?
But then God just smiles and leads my heart and mind to His word for assurance…
Romans 12: 3-6 (The Message)
I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and
especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every
one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret
yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it
all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and
by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him. In this way
we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from
the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we're talking about is
Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a
part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount
to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these
excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, let's
just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without envy or pride, comparing ourselves
with each other, or trying to be something we aren't.
I have plenty of other things that I’m great at, and others that I’m at
least ok at. I don’t have to do everything. I can’t do everything. If I try I
am not letting God direct and decide what it is I am supposed to spend my time
doing. And someone else’s gift and talents are supposed to fill in my gaps,
bless me, bless them too because they are able to share their gifts and talents
with me, and above all make our relationship even sweeter in the process by
serving one another.
My friend Sharon obviously feels the same way because once she saw my post she
in-boxed me and said simply, and with excitement, “Lets get those curtains done”... God bless her!
Just think, if I hadn’t asked I wouldn’t be getting the curtains I need (and
Hubs and I would be walking around at night forever wondering if anyone was
looking in – and laughing of courseJ), my friend wouldn’t be
able to enjoy using the gifts and talents God has given her, and I wouldn’t be
able to see once again that God equips us all differently but with exactly what
we need to accomplish the task at hand.
I CAN do all things through Christ who strengthens me – even if the task at hand is simply to
swallow hard and ask for help.
Joyful on the Journey
Marisa
