I had a little meltdown one day last week – a pity party, if you will. The kids were driving me bonkers, and I questioned what on Earth God was thinking as he pieced together this crazy life-puzzle of mine. I thought surely, there is someone more qualified than me to accomplish the things that he has called me to do.

The pity party guests (you may know them – their names are Woe, Fear, Grief and Pride, and they are never very much fun, anyway) finally left, and I was reminded of a few things as the fog began to clear:
1)    I am uniquely qualified to do whatever God wants me to do, because his Spirit has prepared me for it already (I Corinthians 12).
2)    If I could do it all in my own strength, then I might fool myself into thinking that I didn’t need God (Psalm 25).
3)    When I have bad days, I can turn my attention to others around me who are having even worse days. How can I fret for long over a kid’s bad attitude or the 14,827th dirty sock I find wadded up under the couch when a friend is out of work or a neighbor is fighting cancer?
The author of much of the New Testament, Saul-turned-Paul, models the third point very well. The book of Philippians (which is actually a letter) was written while Paul was in prison. He wasn’t in prison for bank robbery or carjacking, either – he was incarcerated because of his bold witness for Christ. Not only that, but he was chained. No cable television and laundered orange jumper for him – he was caged up like an animal.

Paul begins his letter to the Philippians with a reminder that they are in his prayers. While he does occasionally ask his readers to pray for him, he consistently focuses on letting them know that he is the one praying for them. He also encourages them to be confident and remember that God will finish what he started in their lives (v. 6).

What refreshing news! God is still working on me. I don’t have to have it all together yet, because I’m a work in progress. Let’s spend our prayer time together this week focusing on our Creator who is making something uniquely wonderful out of our lives, for his glory.