You are Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

A few years ago I answered the phone at the church office. 

“Hello, Church of the Nazarene, this is Chad, how can I help you?”

“Hi.  My husband and I moved here about a year ago. I want to the pastor.”

“This is the Pastor.  How can I be of a help?”

“Are you like Hagge?”

“I’m sorry.  Who?” 

“You know John Hagge.  The Pastor at Cornerstone Church in Texas.  Are you like him?   My husband and I have been looking for a Pastor like him.  We want a man just like him. So before we come to your church we want to ask upfront if you are like him.”

“No, I am afraid if I can only be me so if you are looking for Hagge you may be better served to watch him on TV this Sunday than to come here.” 

The person on the other end said, “You are not what we are looking for” and hung up. 

As I sat there with the phone in my hand as I listened to the busy signal ringing in my ear, I thought how much I appreciated that call.  I mean don’t get me wrong, it was kind of crazy, but at the same time I appreciated that the person flat out said out loud exactly who she wanted me to be.  And when I could not meet that standard, she was honest enough about what she wanted to hang up. 

Oddly enough, that strange and abrupt phone conversation was as if it was from God himself.  You see I have been guilty of playing the comparison game over the years.  Maybe you have played the game a time or two…you pick out somebody and you begin to measure yourself against them.  You may even begin to wish you more like someone else than yourself.  It is not a fun game to play and obviously it is pointless, but it does seem to be quite popular.  As a pastor I would compare myself to other pastors.  I would think, “I wish I had a speaking voice like that guy” or “I will never be able to preach like that” or “Wow…look how that church has grown under his leadership” or “That guy can even sing and lead worship” or “That Pastor has something so good to say that people actually read his book.” 

But on that day, through that strange phone call, it was if the Holy Spirit whispered to my spirit, “Stop it!”  “Stop playing the comparison game as it is not honoring of God.”  I was then reminded of Moses as he stood barefoot by the not-burning bush.  He said, “Lord, send someone else because I cannot speak well.”  God granted Moses’ request, but not before he blasted him with a truth that may be al we who are tempted to play the comparison game need to hear: “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what I say.”

It is interesting to me that the things I would see as something would make me less is something that God says he sees quite differently.  In fact, he reminds Moses that as our Creator he knows what he is doing.  In fact, he even designs our weaknesses on purpose because, if we will let him, he will use our weakness to teach us to depend on his help and teaching.

It’s funny the things God will use to get us to quit playing the comparison game and better learn to value how he uniquely made us and to even learn to see our weaknesses as part of his intentional design for our spiritual growth.  For Moses God used a not-burning bush.  For me it was a crazy phone call. I don’t know what it will be for you, but I pray, if it has not already come, that you will soon have that moment of clarity where you see that even with your weaknesses you are “fearfully and wonderfully made.”