December 5, 2008
The king of Aram had great admiration for Naaman, the commander of his army, because through him the Lord had given Aram great victories. But though Naaman was a mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy. - II Kings 5:1
I sat my mother down and told her I had something to say. “I want to start my own publishing company.” I said I believe that part of my purpose in life is to help other people find and understand theirs and I’m supposed to do that in unconventional ways. I became excited thinking about this dream and its fruition; and I thought about how, in years prior, I cheated myself out of believing I could do it.
We have things in life that we’re required to accomplish. Unfortunately, we don’t accomplish them because of what we perceive our limitations to be. You know you’re supposed to go forward with the business venture God gave you but you’re afraid that, because you are not the most articulate and intelligent out of the bunch, you will fail. So instead you settle with your success at the mid-level of a pyramid enterprise. You know you’re supposed to help transform lives through the melodies of your voice but you’re not comfortable with being the one seen (simply because you’re not comfortable with yourself). As a result, you’re lending background vocals when you know God called you to be the artist.
Everyone battles something. I remember a time when I doubted how successful I could be because my family structure and my physical appearance didn’t meet society’s criteria. What could a girl, with no daddy and no supermodel frame, have to say to the world? Absolutely everything! Our imperfections don’t hinder our purpose; they add to it. I’m supposed to show, through my work, that you can have one parent and a double digit dress size and leave your mark on this world. You’re supposed to show, through your work, that you don’t have to graduate from Harvard to create the economic infrastructure your community needs. You’re supposed to show, through your work, that you don’t have to be the best in order to be great.
In the chapter, Naaman gets healed from leprosy. Do you know what that means? It means that while God can use your imperfections to perfect His will in your life, a day will come when those imperfections are old news. Let that marinate while you thank Him for how good He is.
©BirthRight, 2008
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