Limping Along

Bryan hurt his knee this past weekend at the Jr. High camp he was speaking at. The Lord allowed it to happen the first night he was there...so it made for a bit of a painful weekend...but still a fruitful one.

He took a side hit to his knee during a game of basketball and tweaked it really good. Nice and swollen! :) He went for an x-ray on Monday and, thankfully, there were no broken bones or tears that our doctor could see. Five day's later, he is still hobbling around and very thankful for his anti-inflammatory pills! What is really interesting to Bryan and I though is that, right now, the worst of his pain is actually in his calf. Because he is walking so oddly he is using muscles in his calf in ways they have not been used before...nor are they meant to function the way they are having to.

I couldn't help but think how often we get in the same spiritual predicament when it comes to using our gifts. God's Word says in Romans 12:6 that we have "gifts that differ according to the grace given to us "and we are to use them! And, in 1 Cor. 12:1-11 Paul writes that all our gifts "are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as He wills."

Clearly, we are called to serve and use our giftedness (so if you are not....repent and start serving!!! :) ), but, if I may speak for "female believers" as a whole :), I think sometimes we find ourselves serving in ways we are not gifted because, well...we just couldn't say no or we saw a need that no one was meeting and our "fix the problem" heart got the best of us. We end up using "muscles" for ways they were not intended and we begin to feel sore, tired and uncomfortable.

Now, don't get me wrong, living a life for Jesus means denying self, taking up our cross (dying to self) and following Him. That is certainly not comfortable and can often be painfully beautiful and there are times we will be called by God to do things that are hard and stretch us greatly...but I hope you understand the context in which I am writing about right now. I guess I am just encouraging myself, and all of you, that if we are feeling sore, tired and even pained...maybe it's time for some self-examination using the Bible as our mirror and maybe our hubbies and/or another godly friend for some council to see if our priorities are lined up with God's and if our service to Him is primarily within our giftedness. (Hint: typically the areas in which you find the greatest JOY in as you serve the Lord are often the very areas in which you are gifted in! What a sweet blessing from the Lord, huh?!!)

Let us all pray that we would not be found "limping along" but that we would be like the lame man, when healed, who went, "walking and leaping and praising God!" (Acts 3:8)

And always know, I am a fallible person...I may not say it all right or may miss key points to be thought through. Always feel comfortable to comment and keep me accountable! :)