Your gentleness has made me great (Psalm 18:35)

I never used to like myself very much, and though I am not ready to call myself great, I am ready to give Him the credit for bringing me from where I was, to where I am today. And I owe it all to His gentleness, His love and His mercy and His grace. Please don’t get me wrong, I am far from perfect, but I do like what He is doing in my life, the changes He is making.

One of the difficulties I had when I first became a Christian, was that when I connected with people with problems, I tended to take them on, and it tended to drag me down. It’s a bit like seeing somebody in a deep pit with un-scalable sides, and you jump down into the pit with them, in a futile attempt to help. It was a big problem, and one I still wrestle with. And I believe it is the main reason why the fellowship He uses me to run was so small for so very long. But He is gently and patiently stretching me, as the fellowship slowly grows!

So what is the point of me telling you all this? Well it would’ve been very easy to give up on ministry, concluding I wasn’t cut out for it. But at some level we are all called to minister, to love, to come alongside those who are hurting, and most of us feel inadequate. But our God is patient, and gentle and is far more committed to our growth than we are, and He has plans for us and wants in His gentle way to make us great for the kingdom. There is nothing more fulfilling than being used of Him!

Father, thank You for rescuing me from my self absorption, thank You for your patience with me. And Lord, when I am tempted to be impatient with others, please remind me how long it took You to bring me out of my own desolate pit. Thank You that Your work in us it is always to strengthen, establish and lift us up, and to use us to minister, many times, to the very same hurts and difficulties You delivered us from. In Jesus Name Amen