Have you ever wanted to give God suggestions about how God
ought to do things? Not earth-shattering suggestions, perhaps. Just
simple things…like the foods we eat. Why not put all the vitamins and
minerals in the tasty foods? Save all the fat and cholesterol for spinach
and brussel sprouts.
God could also use some advice about the kind of people God calls
to do his work. God seems to have this thing about calling very
imperfect people. Certainly, Abraham was imperfect. Why he once
tried to pass off his wife as his sister. And Moses was imperfect. He
once killed a man in a fit of anger. Then there was Samson. Look how
easily he let a woman lead him. And then David. Adulterer. Murderer.
Surely God could have done better. And Jonah – fleeing from God
because he hated the people of Nineveh.
For that matter, I probably would not have chosen Simon Peter.
Sure, he ended up as a rock, but before that he was a wishy-washy
coward. And James and John. Always jockeying for a place of
prominence.
Can you imagine a church board interviewing the prophet, Amos!
“Now, Mr. Amos, let’s have a look at your credentials.”
“Credentials?”
“Yes, your credentials. Where did you go to school? What major
theologian has influenced your thinking? Where were you first
ordained?”
“Theologian?” “Ordained? Well, you see, I’m a shepherd by
background. I really haven’t had much formal training. I did work for
awhile dressing sycamore trees, if that counts for anything. As for
theology, I don’t know that any one person has influenced my thinking.
But I’ve seen people cheated in the market place. I’ve seen widows
thrown out of their homes. I’ve seen children sold for a pair of shoes.
And God has told me it’s not right. God has called me to confront the
doers of injustice in society and to proclaim God’s righteousness.”
“Sycamore trees? Righteousness? Well, Mr. Amos, Hmmm…we really
were looking for someone with a doctorate. And we would prefer a
ministry that was not confrontational.” Poor Amos. He wouldn’t have
made it past the first interview. God just isn’t very good at choosing the
kind of people who represent God…” Hum” – I wonder?
Pastor Jim Moore recalls when he took a course in pastoral care as
a part of his seminary training. One day he was asked to visit a woman
in the hospital who had lost her will to live; she had no cards or flowers,
and she sat all day in a darkened room. But Jim was terrified. He felt
that he was too inexperienced, and that he wouldn’t know what to do.
And his nervousness affected his visit.
First, he pushed the door open too hard and it slammed against the
wall. Next, he walked over and accidentally kicked the bed. He
stammered, stuttered and said all the wrong things in between long
periods of embarrassed silence. Finally, he tried to say a prayer, but
even that didn’t come out right. He left the room that day with tears in
his eyes, ready to quit the ministry. He felt ashamed that this patient had
needed him, and he had failed her.
But a few days later Jim went courageously back. Imagine his
surprise when he found the woman sitting up in bed writing letters.
Flowers and cards were everywhere. She recognized him at once, and
began thanking him over and over for the visit he had paid her.
Jim was confused, because he knew he had botched the visit. He had
done everything painfully wrong, and he confessed as much to her.
“But that’s just it,” she replied. “I felt so sorry for you! It was the first time I had felt anything but self-pity for months. And that little spark of compassion for you gave me the will to live. As followers, as disciples of Jesus our weaknesses are often blessings in disguise.Former professional baseball player Roy Campanella, who was confined to a wheelchair following an accident, found an important resource in his faith. He had felt only anguish and despair immediately following the accident, and he spent many nights crying himself to sleep. He healed poorly in those first few months, and one day his physician came in and told him frankly that if he didn’t become responsible for his own healing, he would never recover. Campanella knew that he would never leave his wheelchair. He knew that he would never play ball again. But he also knew that the doctor was right. All his life he had found help in his faith. And now, from the depths of his despair, he turned once more to the Lord. He had a nurse read him the Twenty-third Psalm, and from that moment, Campanella improved. He knew that God was on his side. Sometime later Roy Campanella had an encounter with an elderly woman in Florida. He was sitting in his wheelchair at a ball park when he noticed a crippled, elderly woman working her way slowly up a steep ramp. She had braces on both legs and a crutch, but she struggled up the ramp until she reached him. Then panting from her exertion, she looked at him, and then took his hand in hers. And she thanked him for her life. She had been a patient in the same New York hospital when he was recovering form his accident. A stroke had left her paralyzed on one side of her entire body, and she had lost her will to live. But the doctors told her about Campanella and his courage and faith in the face of overwhelming adversity. She had been so inspired by the story that she determined to make the effort to live. And now she had traveled over a thousand miles to meet him in person and thank him. Time after time we have seen people who were physically weak develop such spiritual strength that they have inspired others. I close: God seems to have this thing calling imperfect weak people – to be messengers. I believe God knows what God is doing! I wonder if any of us are on God’s list.
