A couple weeks ago I took my six-year old son to a “nerf battle” birthday party. Needless to say, this party was an exciting one for my little guy who loves to chase us around the house with nerf guns!
I watched him play and have fun with his friends, and then came the moment to battle.
Teams were picked based on the color of your goggles - blue and red ones were given at the beginning of the party. But my son had brought his own goggles, not blue or red…just clear.
My heart broke a little as I watched him be the last kid standing and not assigned to a team just because of his goggles. My mama heart screamed, “This is not fair!” I wanted to rush in and save him from any pain. I wanted to force him on the blue team! (Because that’s his favorite color).
But I waited and watched to see what he would do. He went right up to the parent picking the teams and said, “Ok, so what team am I on? I have my own goggles!” And I smiled, because at the end of the day, he didn’t need my intervention. He needed to find his own voice, even when things got tough.
This past Sunday Jason talked about the beautiful truth that God actually chose us to be on his team. He never once hesitated thinking… “Well, he doesn’t really have the skills I need…” or “She’s a little bit too much for some people…” or “He’s not a great speaker…”
All the things we think disqualify us actually make us greater vessels for His glory.
In 2 Corinthians 12:9-11 Paul tells us:
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Paul understood that it’s the very things that make us most insecure that God will come in and lovingly use for His mighty purposes. He gives grace to the humble. So we can step up to God’s team with full humility, knowing we fall short, but His grace fills in the gaps.
One of my favorite quotes from Sunday was this:
“God does not choose by merit, or performance. God chooses by grace.”
Will you do me a favor and stop allowing the enemy to whisper lies about your worth? Will you silence those lies and head out to the field to play on the team on which you are already chosen?
As soon as we fully embrace that God has chosen us, that’s when things get exciting. That’s when we unlock doors that we have never tried to open before.
Because being chosen by God should give us boldness. It should give us confidence to show up and play even when we feel so inadequate at times. When we are weak, He is strong!
Time to stop living in the lies and embrace the great calling ahead.
I watched him play and have fun with his friends, and then came the moment to battle.
Teams were picked based on the color of your goggles - blue and red ones were given at the beginning of the party. But my son had brought his own goggles, not blue or red…just clear.
My heart broke a little as I watched him be the last kid standing and not assigned to a team just because of his goggles. My mama heart screamed, “This is not fair!” I wanted to rush in and save him from any pain. I wanted to force him on the blue team! (Because that’s his favorite color).
But I waited and watched to see what he would do. He went right up to the parent picking the teams and said, “Ok, so what team am I on? I have my own goggles!” And I smiled, because at the end of the day, he didn’t need my intervention. He needed to find his own voice, even when things got tough.
This past Sunday Jason talked about the beautiful truth that God actually chose us to be on his team. He never once hesitated thinking… “Well, he doesn’t really have the skills I need…” or “She’s a little bit too much for some people…” or “He’s not a great speaker…”
All the things we think disqualify us actually make us greater vessels for His glory.
In 2 Corinthians 12:9-11 Paul tells us:
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Paul understood that it’s the very things that make us most insecure that God will come in and lovingly use for His mighty purposes. He gives grace to the humble. So we can step up to God’s team with full humility, knowing we fall short, but His grace fills in the gaps.
One of my favorite quotes from Sunday was this:
“God does not choose by merit, or performance. God chooses by grace.”
Will you do me a favor and stop allowing the enemy to whisper lies about your worth? Will you silence those lies and head out to the field to play on the team on which you are already chosen?
As soon as we fully embrace that God has chosen us, that’s when things get exciting. That’s when we unlock doors that we have never tried to open before.
Because being chosen by God should give us boldness. It should give us confidence to show up and play even when we feel so inadequate at times. When we are weak, He is strong!
Time to stop living in the lies and embrace the great calling ahead.
Erika Pizzo
Erika is the author of the blog erikapizzo.com where she encourages women to care for their mind, body, and spirit as they grow closer to Jesus. She also hosts the podcast “Temple Care” where she provides weekly messages of encouragement. Erika lives with her husband, daughter, son, and their fluffy poodle in sunny Southern California. Her two favorite things are a visit to the beach with a chai latte in hand.