YOU ARE GREATER THAN YOU THINK YOU ARE

Greater than/Less than

You are greater than who you think you are. 

When I was younger, I went through a phase in life where I wasn't the most popular kid. In fact, I was probably one of the least popular kids there were. I had really ugly glasses, messed up teeth, horrible hair, and bad taste in clothing. To top it off, I would do really ridiculous things to try to get attention. As you might guess, I had really low self esteem. I felt extremely worthless. I never thought I would amount to anything substantial. The whole reason I am good at music is because my guitar was my only real friend. I would sit on the edge of my bed for hours playing away my sadness. Unfortunately, a lot of people go through this same feeling of worthlessness. Maybe they aren't as dorky as I was, but that doesn't make the pain of not feeling good enough any less real to them. The good news is that I am in good company of people who felt that way.

There are many cases in The Bible that felt like they weren't good enough when God called them to do a great work. Moses, one of the greatest heroes of The Bible, started his journey like this:

God was speaking to Moses, and said: "the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 

And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” (Exodus 3:9-12 NIV)

That didn't convince Moses though. He responded a little later by saying, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” (Exodus 4:1 NIV)

So God gives him signs to show them. But, confidant Moses still is concerned. 

Moses said to the Lord, “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.” (Exodus 4:10 NIV)

I love God's response here. He says:

“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.” (Exodus 4:11, 12 NIV)

And even after that, Moses still had the audacity to ask God to send someone else. 

I wonder how many times God gets frustrated with us. You see, God sees us the way we really are, not how we see ourselves. When I was a kid, all I saw was the nerdy, unpopular kid that no one liked. God saw me as a worship leader and someone who would someday get the opportunity to minister to thousands of people all over the country. God knows what we have inside of us even before we know ourselves. He calls us to greatness even when we feel worthless. 

He saw David as a king, even when he was just a ruddy little shepherd. He saw Paul as a great missionary, even when he was out murdering Christians. And He sees you, doing things you would never dream you can do. He sees your marriage, inspiring people who need to see the things that you've went through. He sees your job or school, knowing there are people there that only you can reach. He sees your hidden talents, your passions, and your skills. We all go through hills and valleys, but it's those things in us that we feel that disqualify us from doing great things that God uses as the very thing to qualify us. 

You are greater than who you think you are. You are greater than what the world says you are. And you will do greater things than what you think you can do if you will submit to God's will and plan for your life.