It was just a little talk. A small deal, really. But my usual confidence wavered as my words floated into the audience—an audience filled with highly-respected individuals who knew me well and knew their faith better. What good could my message do them?
The second it was over I grabbed my notes and made a beeline for the car, replaying every word with an interior cringe.
As the weeks passed by, the Lord gently revealed that every one of my fears and self-criticisms was based in doing His work for my glory. I’d spent years craving reassurance and clinging to every shred of feedback, basing whether I could do God’s work—and be good at it—entirely on what others might say.
But if I truly sought to do His glory, the outcome didn’t matter.
The reality is that God’s work never depends upon our particular ability or performance. It depends only upon the obedience and love with which we do His will.
The Lord can do His work perfectly well (often far better) without us. Yet He delights in sharing His work with us. He delights in teaching us to use our gifts for His glory through our every fumbling fiat.
The Lord continues to gently call me out of my comfort zone. He’s teaching me that whether I write the most graceful turn of phrase or give the most stirring speech—or whether I crash and burn by human standards—when I do my best to seek His glory above all, He fills in the gaps. He bears the fruit. Always.
Christ Himself reminds us today that our greatest mission on this Earth is to glorify the Father. The Lord didn’t measure His mission in light of human “success,” with numbers of healings or conversions or the eloquence of His Sermon on the Mount. Rather, Christ captures His entire mission—and by extension, ours—with one simple prayer to the Father: "give Glory to Your Son, so that Your Son may glorify You" (John 17:1).
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.
He delights in sharing His work with us. // @megan_hjelmstadClick to tweet
Lord, in every little feat and blunder may we point with confidence back to You.
Megan Hjelmstad is a wife and mom 24/7 and an Army Reservist in her “spare” time. She is the Stories Manager for the Blessed is She Instagram account. She’s a bibliophile, tea drinker, sleep lover, and avid admirer of Colorado’s great outdoors. She is a contributing author to our children's devotional prayer book called Rise Up. When the writing bug hits, you can find out more about her here.
Be a Woman of the Word
