Just a day ago, I made an error that made me feel rather inadequate. I spent some time criticizing myself, believing that someone with more qualifications could have handled it better than I did. As I silently replayed the event in my mind, I realized that as Christians and believers, we often feel the same way. God has called and entrusted each of us with assignments to complete, dreams to realize, and a purpose to pursue. Yet, a sense of inadequacy frequently creeps into our subconscious.
Initially, I must admit that we are not qualified. When we sit to meditate on all that God has entrusted us with, we realize the gravity of these responsibilities, which then leads to feelings of doubt and inadequacy. We often believe we must be qualified to be used by God. However, I came to understand that the one who calls us qualifies us.
As stated in 2 Corinthians 3:5, "it is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God."
In some way, not feeling competent to do the assignments that God assigns to us might stem from a place of humility, which prompts us to rely on God rather than our own abilities. Yet, there is another kind of inadequacy that can be so overpowering, it immobilizes us and prevents us from attempting to achieve purpose. This form of inadequacy causes you to disqualify yourself, even when God has already deemed you capable.
Moses, a prophet of God, exemplifies this perfectly, as he was given the assignment to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. However, because of the magnitude of what God had given to him, he said to his master (God) in Exodus 4:10,
“Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."
In hindsight, Moses was indeed right in all he had expressed to the Lord. He was never eloquent and was slow in speech. From his perspective, he believed his lack of eloquence was a major drawback. I can only imagine the doubts he might have considered. How could someone like him, who had difficulty forming a complete sentence, speak to the king of Egypt? Yet, God replied, asking,
“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 to say. ”
The initial point to derive from God's questions is that although our lives might highlight our shortcomings and reveal our inadequacies, they should never define our end.
In God's questions, we observe that He did not dispute Moses' words, neither did He deny his lack of eloquence. Rather, God questioned Moses’ inability to rely on the one who was capable of qualifying him. The one who called him, had already qualified him, yet Moses continued to list out his shortcomings. Many of us are indeed like Moses. We often focus on our limitations and remind ourselves and others why we cannot fulfill the tasks God has assigned to us. However, God did not choose us because of our qualifications. Far be it, that we have such mindsets as believers. Because there truly is no level of qualification that can qualify us for God's work. It is solely through Him and with His help, that we can accomplish His work on earth.
Thus, our feelings of incompetence should direct us to seek the face of Christ. Our sense of inadequacy should remind us of the necessity to depend on the one who has summoned us. Even when we feel incapable to complete our God-given task, we should recall that they were never meant for us to accomplish alone.
The result of relying on God, even when we realize our inadequacies, is revealed in Exodus 14, where Moses' story continues. However, this time, we don't encounter the once hesitant man who believed he lacked too much to be a good fit. We rather see a man whom God qualified. A man who put his total dependence on the one who sent him, enough to have brought the Israelites out of Egypt. An unqualified man, who got transformed into whom God had qualified.
Our self-reflections, like Moses' view of himself, might not always align with the version God intends for us to become. Yet, when we set our gaze on the one who can qualify the unqualified, we become transformed into God's perfect will for our lives. In essence, our unqualified selves should lead us to a total dependence on God, not a total withdrawal from Him.
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