Thomas Edison. Colonel Sanders. Dr. Seuss. Walt Disney. Vincent Van Gogh. Albert Einstein. Helen Keller. Michael Jordan.

If I were to ask anyone to ascribe common adjectives to describe these famous figures, the words “successful” and “persistent” would probably appear on top of the list.

Thomas Edison, the man who revolutionized the world by inventing the light bulb, is known to have failed before succeeding — 1,000 times! Colonel Sanders was rejected repeatedly as he drove around the country, sleeping in his car and knocking on doors trying to promote his famous fried chicken recipe. Beloved author Dr. Seuss had his first book refused by 27 publishers. Vincent Van Gogh sold only one of his 800-plus paintings during his lifetime. Walt Disney was fired from a Missouri newspaper for “not being creative enough.” Six-foot-6-inch Michael Jordan was cut from his high school varsity basketball team his sophomore year for being a mediocre player at 5 foot, 11 inches tall. Albert Einstein did not speak fluently until he was about 9, causing teachers to think he was slow. He was later refused admittance to the Zurich Polytechnic Institute. Helen Keller could not see or hear. And yet, she persevered in creating her own communication systems and became a renowned author, lecturer and political activist.

We applaud their success and benefit from their genius. We cite them as icons of resilience and laud them as the crème de la crème in their field. But if you look at each of these people’s early life, you will see that rejection haunted them until someone believed in them. Thus, many of history’s “greats” were deemed insignificant, inadequate and sometimes even mad. They were almost missed, simply because those around did not look past their awkwardness, flaws or handicap, to realize that there was more than what met the eye.

Scriptures are filled with misfits as well. Men and women who were often viewed as unfit to be used, and yet, their stories of faith and trust in God have inspired and encouraged us for thousands of years.

Perhaps one of Scriptures’ greatest examples of an apparent inadequate and initially overlooked character is David, the shepherd boy turned king.
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Israel, in her rebellion against God and desire to fit in with the surrounding nations, begged God for a king. God led the prophet Samuel to appoint Saul – a handsome, tall and strong man. Saul had the pedigree, looks, knowledge and capability to become a great king; however, his outward strength hid a weak character and idolatrous nature. After giving him chance after chance, God rejected Saul as king, and directed Samuel to anoint the next Jewish leader.

The prophet was led to Bethlehem of Judea, to the house of Jesse — a sheep breeder and devout Jew from the tribe of Judah.

Jesse had eight sons. When Samuel laid eyes on Jesse’s firstborn, he was certainly impressed. He thought to himself: “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” But Scriptures say that God redirected Samuel’s focus immediately: “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:6-7) Next, Jesse paraded seven of his sons before the prophet, none of which turned out to be God’s choice. It wasn’t until Samuel inquired if Jesse had any more sons that the patriarch thought of David.

An afterthought. The stinky, frail, shepherd boy was not even in his father’s radar! And yet, he was God’s chosen one. The very one rejected by society’s standards as a lowly shepherd and overlooked by those closer to him for his youth and small frame, became the king from whose lineage Israel’s Messiah would come.

Yes. A list of history’s “greats” would be incomplete without several Bible personalities, certainly including the young shepherd boy whose small frame inspired mockery, but whose character stood a head taller than everyone else.

When resilience meets a clean heart and strong faith, the result is a life that conquers limitations, defies the norm and can even be used by God to accomplish the impossible.
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This article was originally published on Patricia’s column for The Atlanta Journal Constitution on Saturday – August 18, 2018.

The post God Loves to Use the Unlikely & Inadequate {The Atlanta Journal Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

They say that once you’re in the groove, working out is really fun. Indeed, I faintly remember enjoying it until about eight years ago, when various health problems and major surgeries kept me from the gym for months at a time. But ever since then, exercising has become a necessity, not a pleasure. I know if I am to be strong, I must train these feeble muscles of mine.

“No pain, no gain”, says the famous maxim. As much as I hate it, I know it’s true.

Benjamin Franklyn’s old proverb can easily be applied to our faith walk as well. The strongest men and women of faith who have walked this earth and impacted their society for good have had to exercise their faith muscles though the hardest of circumstances. Great non-fiction books are usually written with the blood of those who teach the lessons within; and one cannot overlook the fact that the people we know who impacted our faith the most are usually those whom we witnessed walk through dark valleys and yet maintain unfazed faith.

When it comes to life’s struggles, what defeats us is not necessary the trials we face, but our attitude towards them. We often treat our life’s workouts with the same lack of resilience that we have when we hit the gym. Indeed, many of us turn our back on God when the going gets rough, blaming him for the pain we feel, not realizing that our trials are tools that He uses to shape us, strengthen us and refine our character. As we deny God the right to use whichever tools he chooses to make us stronger, we miss out on growing spiritually and emotionally. The result is the same to our faith as it is to our body muscle groups: Our testimony becomes progressively weaker. On the other hand, we see examples in history and in our midst of people who have allowed God to shape them as they went through difficult circumstances. The result is a list of world changers and history makers, who impacted the world because they allowed their trials to strengthen their character and purify their hearts. Their voices echo in history. Their strength inspires generations. Their names may be famous, such as Anne Frank, Hellen Keller, Winston Churchill, or Charles Spurgeon. But they’re also the unsung heroes of faith: Grandmas and grandpas, next door neighbors and school teachers, whom we have witnessed walk through the darkest valleys, coming out with a strong testimony of God’s faithfulness and goodness through it all.

I don’t feel like going back to the gym today. I’d certainly much rather get a bag of popcorn and rent a chick flick. But I know that, unless I press on, my muscles will never become strong again.  Likewise, if I want to see God moving in a mighty way in my life, I must trust him to shape me, strengthen me, molding my character through the trials I face. It hurts and I don’t like it.  But as I look back and see the awesome things that he’s already done, I choose to tell my heart to keep on trusting, for I know his plans for me are good. He’s never failed me yet.

Patricia Holbrook is a Christian author and national conference speaker. Her first book, “12 Inches – Bridging the Gap between How You Feel and What You Know About God” will be available in stores nationwide in the Summer of 2015. Visit her blog to read her devotionals at www.soaringwithhim.com or email her at pholbrook@soaringwithhim.com

Patricia Holbrook

The post Life’s Workouts are Meant to Strengthen our Faith (Weekend Column for AJC) appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.