Unlimited Room
When I was six years old, I wanted to be Dorothy Hamill. Dorothy Hamill skated so beautifully over the crystalline surface of the ice. I coveted her life so much that I even asked for a Dorothy Hamill haircut (which looked more like a boys' bowl cut on me). I skated for hours a day, dreaming of Olympic stardom. As a teenager, however, I was faced with the reality that my dreams were not to be. My talent was just not enough for the elite level required of Olympians. I was devastated. Elite level figure skating only had room for the best of the best, and that did not include me.
During high school, I had an amazing creative writing teacher. She lit a fire in me to create intricate mental pictures using mere words on a page. Though I did not enjoy research papers or essays on anything historical throughout high school and college, my love of the written word continued to grow. That tiny flame my creative writing teacher lit so many years ago has now grown to an inferno, threatening to consume me if I don't set aside the time to get the words out.
Then the thoughts slither into my mind: "Hasn't what you have to say already been said . . . and by someone more talented than you?" "Who will really read this rubbish, amateur work?" Fear tries to suffocate my voice--fear of rejection, fear of not being good enough. Is there really enough room for me with such talented writers saturating the industry?
But God . . .
God is the One who used that teacher to open my eyes to a new love. Authors and books written by fellow followers of Christ have fanned the flame along the way. God is the One who has led me through unique circumstances, challenges, and outright pain in order to share His grace with others. God Himself is stoking the inferno so that I cannot contain His goodness, even if I tried. I must share how amazing God is or risk a nasty explosion.
Maybe you are not a writer, but what burden has God placed on you? What fire is threatening to consume you but you're wondering if your gift is good enough. Is there room enough for you?
The answer is a resounding yes! "Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you." 2 Timothy 4:5b (NLT)
As believers in Christ, we have graciously been given a gift to be used by God to reach out to others in some form of ministry (Romans 12). There is unlimited and abundant room at God's table to minister in whatever way God has called you. Let's reject the fear that threatens to choke us and stoke the fire God has planted within us.
