I got a wakeup call in the late 1990’s when my brother passed away at 56 years of age. In 2002 mom passed and was followed two years later into eternity by dad. Since I had just seen my dad two days before, it felt sudden, even though it was not a surprise. What was a surprise was the overwhelming knowledge that with the loss of my dad, I became the patriarch of our family. As I searched my heart and looked at all my inadequacies I felt unprepared for the role. To someone who may not understand the significance of the role in Biblical times, you will not appreciate the weight of the office. I realized that whatever I communicated to my earthly family and spiritual children would be used as part of their baseline for belief and their understanding of the Kingdom of God. For months the concept weighed heavily on my mind as I searched my soul for direction.
Fortunately one morning about 3:00 AM our Father woke me up for a time of insight. As I read through Proverbs 4, I came to the 11th verse where it says: “I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.” It then occurred to me that these were common words concerning Jesus’ ministry also. I found them in Matthew 3, Mark 1 and Luke 3 where the phrase is repeated: “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.” In essence what I understood was that there is a straight path that Christ walked, so he would not “miss the mark.” That path took Him 30 years before He was commissioned for His ministry. Then for less than 10% of the same calendar time, He held a position of teacher, leader, prophet and God on this earth. He was their patriarch for 3 short years.
Even though I did not consider myself ready, God felt I had accumulated what I needed to assume that role in my families. All I could think about was that my path had not been nearly as straight as Christ and it is a good thing I was not given that role at 30! However, I had been on a path toward Him for decades with a thirst for His knowledge, wisdom and attributes – perhaps that was enough. It was about 3:45 before I felt a sense of peace envelop me. I knew that whatever path I had been on, He had ordered my steps and it was the path I needed for both of my families. The reality is that he began equipping me the day I was born for this position. I had forgotten a principle that I have taught on multiple occasions – that He sees us in our completed state, not the one we see ourselves in now. Matthew 5:48 reminds us that the way God sees us is not perfect without a single flaw, because you and I both know that is impossible. He wants us finished and in a state of completeness which is what the Greek word teleios really means!
There will come times in your life when you are convinced that you are inadequate, unprepared and unqualified for what you are asked to do by the Living God. It may not be everything you want, but you can be assured you will have the support you need. God asks you to be bold (2 Corinthians 3:12) and step out because He has equipped you, through your personality, culture, education and position in life every tool you will need to fulfill your calling. 2 Chronicles 32:7 verifies what I am saying: “Be strong and courageous. . .” He will not ask you to do anything in which he expects you to fail Him.
Love Dad