toot your own horn

 "The stuck-up fall flat on their faces,
    but down-to-earth people stand firm."

Proverbs 11:2

You're too soft. You're not good enough. You don't measure up. You're not as talented. You're not what we're looking for.

Ever heard those words? Ever felt those words? Played them over and over in your head? Felt held down by them?

We live in a society that rewards beauty, ability, talent, social standing, status, and intelligence, don't we? I mean think about how much NBA players make just for using their ability to play basketball.

God doesn't work like society does...Thank Him! It's actually the opposite. Although He is the one that blessed us with those things they are not the things he rewards us for. God looks at our heart. God rewards those who have a heart for him, who love him, and are obedient to him.

I have always been a Spurs fan. Not just because they're my hometown team but because they have always as a whole represented one thing, one thing that I think is rare in this world, one thing that is especially rare in the NBA..Humbleness.

A true example of nice guys don't always finish last. And they look very classy doing it.

 A lil throwback story

I remember in middle school when my club volleyball team went to eat at Fudrucker's and there was David Robinson eating a burger with his little boy. What I remember more than getting to meet a professional basketball player of my favorite team was what he did. He stood up from his meal and took the time to not only sign every single one of our jerseys but to talk to us and write out a bible verse on our shirts. He didn't have to do that. I remember thinking how cool it was back then and now that I'm older I realize even more what a humble heart that took for him to take the time to do that. It is a memory I have and always will carry with me and cherish. In that moment it didn't matter to me his title, how much money he made or whether he had an NBA ring or not. He made a difference in my day. A scrawny, bony kneed kid with braces that he never met, knew nothing about. But he made a difference in my life.  The way he was a genuine shining light through his humbleness without even trying is something I'll never forget. He didn't need a spotlight on him or a uniform on to do that. Simply being him and sharing his heart was enough. He will probably never know the impact he made on me that day and maybe we don't know the impact we make on others when we just offer a genuine heart.

 The World's message

The world doesn't reward that often though do they? Being humble.The message is, if you're not rich, gifted by our standards,beautiful in our eyes, or do things the way we do than you’re not good enough to be anyone important. WRONG. If we're not careful the world can harden us.

It will tempt us with fame, money, financial stability, the attention, the praise, the power, the recognition. Things that can make us forget all about God's Grace.

The moment we forget or don't even acknowledge that ALL good things in our life come from God is the moment we become prideful...the moment where we start to give ourselves all the credit and think we have a right to be cocky or even worse a right to think we're better than everyone else. But the truth is, those people looking down on you don't deserve God's grace or favor anymore than you do, even if they act like it.

It may look like they have it all. They may think they're the bees knees (still don't get that) But at the end of the day that's not what God is looking for.

Take king Saul for example. He had it all. The image and popularity, title, and riches. But what he didn't have was a humble heart for God. He wanted people's approval over God's. He let his position go to his head. He didn't want the best for anyone but himself. Although Saul was a natural choice for king by outward appearances, he failed as a king. Because one thing is certain eventually, pride comes before the fall.

Who is God looking to use?

God wants to use people who will instead of relying on their own strength and abilities will depend on His power. When you look at the reoccuring theme in the Bible of who God chose to use, we see that God has a pattern of using the most unlikely people to accomplish his greatest purposes. God used: Abraham was too old, Jacob was a liar, Rahab was a prositute, Gideon a coward, Moses a murderer with a speech impediment, Jeremiah was too young, Mary a young poor girl.Seems pretty obvious to me that God purposefully chooses men and women that the culture overlooks and abuses. He wasn't looking for overly religious people who acted like they had it all together. He often chooses those that others label “nobodies” by their perspective but have a heart for God.

It is often the humble "nobodies" God uses to expose the conceit of the "somebodies"

Callings Take Time

It may not always happen when we want or how we want. God chooses the humble but it takes time. It takes time because it's worth it. He's putting all the pieces in place. He doesn't always give the big things to us right away. He wants us to help in the small things first. It is in the small assignments that God tests us and helps build our faith and character. "If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones..." Luke 16:10

Now enter David. You know David, the lil guy who defeated a giant when all the strong skilled soliders were afraid.Well God wanted David to be king. Yes David, the harp playing songwriter,scrawny shepherd boy, the youngest of eight sons in a culture where everyone's first choice was the oldest. David who came from a poor family that had no influence in their culture. David,  someone that was unnoticed by most. Invisible to everyone. Everyone except God. The one who truly mattered.


But it didn't happen right away for David. It took time for him to be elevated to God's true calling for his life. 15 years actually. 15 years of serving under King Saul, A king he didn't necessarily agree with. A king who didn't have a humble heart. He may not have understood why Saul was in the position he was while he had to wait. And the waiting wasn't easy but he didn't give up. He was a servant, he had to put up with death threats from his own King because he posed a threat. The truth is people who are "above" you often don't mind if you do good they just don't want you to do better than them.

But David grew through the waiting. God already had his purpose planned out. Nothing was going to stop that. David become King and with every step God entrusted him with more and more.

Stick it out. Don't give up. God is taking you there. Even when it's hard to wait, trust he'll lift you up in the perfect time. 

God looks at the inside

I don't know about you but I'm relieved to know God doesn’t look at the outside package like the world does to decide who he will use. He sees the real us when everybody else sees what they choose to see. God's first concern isn't how you look, people's opinion of you, your position or even your ability, he doesn't care about the worlds standards. God is concerned with your heart. What's on the inside. That's what he sees. He made you the way you are for a reason, and he loves you just the way you are. Just like David, he chooses people according to their heart.

 He wants someone who will seek His glory, not their own. People that are not afraid to admit their weakness so he can show his strength through us and accomplish his purposes.Someone whose motives and intentions are pure and not self seeking, someone who is focused on God’s desires above their own. People who love him and have a heart to serve God and others without thought to what they will gain in return. It's sad that the ones that don't think they are fooling him. But everything will be brought to the light.

When good things happen to us and when stay humble then God gets the glory and the honor,  not us.  God wants people to be amazed by his abilities not ours so they will be drawn to Him and his saving grace. You know the saying "don't toot your own horn"...well......“If you’re going to blow any horn,try blowing a trumpet for God. He's the one that deserves it.

 No matter what's in your path right now, big or small, do it for his glory. He's working on you every day, through every thing you face and deal with, preparing you like he did David. Nothing is in vain. He will lift you higher.Keep pushing, keep the faith, and stay humble. Your calling is not lost, He hasn't forgotten about you. It's not over until God says it's over, and He is telling you it's just the beginning! He has a planfor you, he has a purpose. He wants to use you even if no one else does. He gave you the talent you have for a reason, he gave you your passion for a purpose and he's preparing your heart to reach your calling in a way bigger than you could have ever hoped for!