Vulnerability moment: I love to worship God through music! I also love bringing others to a place of worship to God. Music is something I love and when doing it I feel extremely close to God, and it helps me worship. For me this looks like playing the guitar, but there is one problem… my voice.
My voice is not the best, and that is something that hinders me in worship. However, that brought me to ask a question: does God want me to give a gift to him even if it’s not the best gift? In other words: does he want me to worship him in a way that I love, and in a way that I am giving him MY best even if it’s not “the best”. I think about the phrase that I hear people say, “I don’t want to just bring God a gift, I want to bring God a GOOD gift”.
While I understand the heart behind that, and I love the intentions of wanting to give God the best, I respectfully disagree. I don’t think God wants only “good” gifts, I think he just wants OUR BEST GIFTS, whatever that looks like.
While thinking about this I thought about my niece, Reagan. When she was about one and a half she drew this for me with the help of my sister (her mom), Aimee. Reagan’s part is the scribbles in the background. To most people that looks like nothing more than scribbles. However, to me that holds value because it was HER best. And for that reason it is special to me, and it is on my wall at home.
In the same way that parents place popsicle stick art created by their kids on the fridge. Why do those crazy parents do that? Because it was their sons/daughters best. In the same way God wants OUR best.
Is Reagan’s picture going to wind up in a museum because it was the best thing out there? No. But it was the best for her, and that is all that matters. When I apply idea that to my gifts, and abilities and filter it thought what I know about God I just have to think that he wants MY best. He wants me to worship him, and give all I can to him with the best of intentions, and the only goal being to worship.
He didn’t call me to worship him AS LONG as my voice sounds like Josh Groban. He just called me to worship him. If he wanted me to sound like Josh Groban than he would have given me a voice like Josh Groban’s, but guess what… he didn’t. But he did call me to use everything I have to the best of MY abilities to serve him.
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1st Peter 4:10-11
So, what have I learned after much thought? I believe that God wants us to just give it all to him, and give him OUR best, as long as our intentions are simply to love and worship him.
Does that mean that I am supposed to sing and lead worship all the time? Absolutely not! Other people have that calling and THEY are probably better than me, so let them do that! But if worship is what people need, and there is no one else to do it, then its time to step up.
My question to you is, are their things that you love to do to worship God but haven’t done it because you are concerned about the quality of the gift? What are you missing out on, and what are you not giving to God? Also remember, you learn by doing. You cant get better at something that you are too afraid to do. So, in the words of Nike…
JUST DO IT!
