Note: On Tuesdays and some Sundays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.
Isaiah knew he wasn’t worthy to have seen the Lord; he called himself part of “a people of unclean lips.”
Paul knew he wasn’t worthy in and of himself to be called an apostle; after all, he’d persecuted Christians.
Peter knew he wasn’t worthy of Jesus’s gifts; after all, he had grumbled about futility before obeying his friend and putting out the nets one last time.
And yet—each is rewarded, not punished. A seraphim heals Isaiah’s wickedness; Jesus counsels Peter and the others not to be afraid; and Paul realizes his public ministry has come not by his work, but by grace.
It’s so much easier to contemplate our imperfections, our sorry earthly inabilities, our insignificance, than it is to shoulder those burdens, those demons, and follow and serve. And yet, if we are to catch people for the Lord, there is no option. He will make the most of what we have, if we have the faith to follow.
