Don't always wear your strong suit!

In college my roommates had a friend visit and he locked his keys in his car. It was a 90’s Camaro, if I remember correctly, which allowed us to pry the window out a bit because it was not framed in by the door.  Anyway, we tried using a hanger to push the switch to open but it was too flimsy. So I got it in my head to put together a shim that would flip the switch. I went in and got my roommate’s sword, an Allen wrench, and some duct tape. I put the Allen wrench on the end of the sword and taped it so that the hook of the wrench would catch the switch. It worked and I will forever be able to say I opened a car door with a sword, Allen wrench, and duct tape. 

Thinking about the Christian life, I have had many experiences of doing things that I was not particularly gifted at doing. Whether it was organizing VBS, cleaning, building game booths, or painting, I would call none of those things my strong suit. I was not programmed to work that way or to do those things. Sort of like how a sword is not meant to open a car door. Sometimes I have to remember that the tool doesn’t decide its use, the worker does. And I am not the worker, I am the tool.

Remember the Potter in Jeremiah 18.  “3. So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel.  4. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.”

Now the context of this passage is that of mercy to the repentant and wrath to the unrepentant, but the fact remains we are the clay and we don’t decide what we will be used for. We can be reworked as the potter (God) sees fit.

I have heard Christians say things like, “that’s not my gift” or “that’s not my calling,” to justify their inaction. And yet I find very little evidence in scripture for such excuses. Sure there are areas that some are gifted in more than others but we have a responsibility to be competent for Christ in all kinds of things. There is no such thing as a Christian Specialist. Christians are not called to be assembly line workers doing one task all day. What happens to the church when the “light-bulb” guy dies? Do we switch to candle light services? It may sound comical but this is often how things happen. A family leaves so the homeless ministry dies. The VBS lady is sick so we are going to have to cancel this year.

And in more personal aspects we use this same attitude.  Maybe you never really have bible study at home with others because hospitality is not your gift.  Or perhaps teaching is not your gift, so you just let someone else raise your kids in Christ. It’s possible that evangelism is not your gift so you don’t need to worry about sharing Jesus with others.

Just because you are a sword doesn’t mean you can’t open a door. 

Think about Paul, he was a Missionary, Evangelist, Church Planter, Teacher, and Tent Maker.  Obviously this is not an exhaustive list of Paul’s gifts, talents, or activities, but perhaps there was some truth behind him writing Phil. 4:13 “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”