Meditations of a Bug Squasher

My pet spider who I keep under a candle

While squashing flies this morning and feeding them to my accidental pet spider (that is another story that I'll leave for another time) I was doing some pre-Bible reading meditating and was randomly struck with the reminder that when we ask for God to speak to us through His word He isn't going to say no-He is extremely eager to speak to us it is just a matter of us being able to sit still and listen. So of course being excited about hearing a word from God this morning, I sent up the request.

One of the things I am studying right now in my time with God is a little booklet from "Today In The Word," titled: Work and the Word: A Biblical Survey of Labor. The "applying the word" section said this:

"What tools have you been gifted that make your work possible? If you had a to hire someone to do your job-raising children, managing a team of professionals, reading electric meters-how would you describe the skills and characteristics necessary for a successful applicant? Do an inventory of the tools you've been given with which you work."

Now being in ministry I have taken a million strengths tests and they all focus so much on a description of who I supposedly am and what I am supposedly good at and what I should be doing or not doing. However, none of them asked me to be self reflective in quite this way. I started thinking about everything I do (not just ministry, but life) and the gifts I require to do those things and my eyes began to well with tears ( which usually happens when I am in awe of God and the way He works) because it hit me that God specifically gifted me with certain abilities for a purpose. I wasn't just on the assembly line one day and happened to be the billionth person and line so I was stamped with such and such ability. No, God knew what I would do in this life, who I would marry, what I would do for a living, and places I would go. He knew it all and picked out the perfect tools for me to be able to glorify Him to the best of my ability.

I also don't need to try to replicate someone else's tools and wear myself out doing something that God didn't gift me in. He didn't ask me to do that. He asks me to work to the best of my ability with what I have been given in order to give glory back to Him. Isn't that such a beautiful cycle? And don't we have the most amazing all-knowing God? YES!