Who, Me?
By Imee Dalton

I have come to find that having faith in God is, in a sense, to also have faith in myself, in who I am in Christ. To have faith that despite myself, despite my shortcomings or even my talents, that God has called me to a purpose. That He has uniquely made me and sees in me something of worth, worthy enough to be loved by Him and to be called to help advance His Kingdom.

The truth is, though, that there have been many times when God has asked me to do something, and I can’t help but answer with: “Who, me? No, you don’t want me. Really? Is that what we’re going with? Let me guess. Plan A fell through, and now we’re going with Plan B – me, right?”

When in truth, it has nothing to with ME at all. It’s all Jesus. That’s when I have to have faith that God sees me differently than I see myself, that He sees the real me, the person of worth that I am in Christ. That despite of myself and because of Him, I am worthy and capable of doing the (sometimes seemingly daunting) things He asks me to do.

But believing in yourself is scary at times. Just ask Joshua. When Moses died, the Lord chose Joshua as Moses’ replacement to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. He must have been terrified, because three times the Lord told him to “be strong and courageous.” If I were Joshua, I know I would be saying, “Wait. Hold on; You want me to do what now?” But that’s where faith comes in. A faith that says, “Yes, Lord. I am scared, but I will do what You have called me to do. Not because I believe I am the person for the job, but because I know You have chosen me and will be with me.”

So, I don’t know what the Lord is calling you to do. It might be something simple like praying with a friend in need or reaching out to a neighbor with cookies, or it could be something frightening to you like starting a prayer group at work or talking to that homeless person you see at the gas station every day. Whatever it is, be encouraged and have faith in the fact that God sees you as fully worthy and capable.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

Imee Dalton has been working at the Vineyard, assisting Pastor Bob Stiles for the last 4 years. If you ever call the Vineyard, chances are, it will be her answering the phone. She and her husband, Rob, have been part of our fellowship since 2002. They attend the H-Pike Home Group.