“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.”
–1 Corinthians 1:27 (NKJV)

Have you ever felt weak and just plain foolish in a situation? Well, join the club! Everyone feels that way sometimes, but the good news is that God delights in our inadequacies, because through them he can show His divine strength. In other words, instead of perfection, God is looking for obedience from us. Let me give you an example of what I mean.

When I was in college, I decided to go into music therapy. In order to get into the School of Music, I had to go through an audition process. I had to play a few songs in front of the school’s director and a few of the head teachers. When audition day dawned I was really nervous, to say the least. I may as well have been in one of those nightmares when you realize it’s final-exam day and you hadn’t studied one bit. Let’s just say I hadn’t practiced my piano enough and leave it at that. Although I didn’t feel prepared, I decided to pray and then see what happened. The audition wasn’t my best performance, but the audience must have seen potential in it, because I got into the School of Music.

Maybe you are feeling unprepared for a situation too, or you are sometimes overwhelmed by the pressures of life in general. But God sees the potential in you, just as those directors saw beyond all my mistakes on audition day. Inadequacy and brokenness are things that God appreciates.

By the way, the music therapy job fell through in the end. I’m currently getting ready to train as a volunteer chaplain,so that I can support Timothy by visiting and praying for the patients in the hospital by our house. I’m a little nervous about what will happen, as most people are when going into a new job. But I know that God loves me, inadequate as I am, and He will help me to do or say the right things. I also know God can help you through difficult situations too. Study His word and ask for His guidance, and he’ll help you through your large and small problems, whether you feel prepared for them or not.