I got my first one-star review on one of my books this past week. It was on Goodreads. Thankfully, there were no words with it, just the rating. In the past, that would have crippled me from moving forward. It did bring me down for a little bit, but then I remembered that it doesn’t matter in the long run.
The key to keeping your fears and shortcomings from holding you back from accomplishing what God wants you to do is to turn those shortcomings over to God. Paul understood something about this.
A Shortcoming to Stay Humble
Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! II Corinthians 12:7 MSG
God gave Paul the gift of having an incredible vision of what Heaven was like. It would have been easy for Paul to get a big head and preach about his vision rather than about Jesus. Paul tells us that God gave Him a handicap to keep that from happening.
We’re not sure what that handicap was exactly. We just know that Paul said it kept him constantly aware of his limitations and his dependence on God.
Removing the handicap
At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. II Corinthians 12:8,9 MSG
Paul says he didn’t see the handicap as a gift at first. He prayed three times, asking God to take away his handicap. God chooses not to and instead gives him words of encouragement. God tells him, “I’ll give you grace and my strength to endure.” God tells him that His strength works best in weakness. Listen to Paul’s response.
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become. II Corinthians 12:10 MSG
Somehow, Paul found a way to appreciate the shortcoming God had given him. He began to see that his handicap consistently threw him at the feet of Jesus. Then Jesus would give him the strength to accomplish his mission.
What Holds Me Back?
What kept me back for the longest time was two things- my perfectionism and fear of people’s opinions. Let’s just say, being an author and a blogger is the perfect culmination of those two fears! The hardest thing I do each week is click publish on my blog post and push send on my email blast.
A book that I highly recommend if you struggle with pleasing people is Nothing to Prove by Jennie Allen.
I can either let those fears and struggles stop me from moving forward to do what I know God wants me to do, or I can pray and ask God for the words to say and the courage to be able to say it.
Then I push publish and put my post out there. I upload my book to Amazon and surrender the outcome to God.
What’s Holding You Back?
Do you have something that you struggle with and it’s been holding you back over the years? Could it be that the very thing you think is holding you back is the ticket to you moving forward? God is simply waiting for you to release that weakness to Him, so His strength can fill you.
What are the common things that keep us back from feeling like we can be useful to God? The following comes to mind: other people’s opinions, our weight, finances, our looks, personality, a disability, a child with special needs, mental health, instability, anger, our job, feeling unlovable. There are so many things that keep us back from believing God can use us.
Change How You See Your Shortcomings
Maybe it’s time to start seeing that thing that is holding you back as a blessing. That weakness or thing you don’t like about yourself is the very reason that you will continually return to God for His strength and help. Then, filled with God’s strength and power, you can move forward to accomplish what He has for you.
It’s time to release that attitude, thought, fear, or shortcoming. You’ve spent too many years compensating for it and trying in your own strength to make it work. It’s time to see that handicap as a blessing. Let it drive you to your knees. Once you’re there, call out to God for his help and strength. Then rise up and get busy doing what you know God wants you to do.
Start that Dream
Go start that business. Write that book you’ve been pondering for years. Turn that hobby into a business. Start that degree. Sign up for the art class. Set up a shop and begin selling on Etsy. Start a blog. Find a way to get that nonprofit going. Get started with your podcast. Start freelance writing. Get your first customers for your photography business. Stop letting your fears and shortcomings hold you back. Release it and move forward! For more ideas and inspiration, read Start Pursuing Your Dream and Dreaming Big Dreams.
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