Nothing

When I am nothing, then all that anyone will ever see is HIM…

Entry into Jerusalem (Giotto)

I generally feel very unprepared in my life.  I spend a lot of my time trying to get things done and feeling completely unequipped to manage it.  Even when I try my best I still feel lacking and often make mistakes and get things wrong and make a mess of things…

I am tempted – more often than not – to look at what others do and how others cope.  I consider my sister, my friend, my parent and I look to myself and think why can I not manage that as gracefully as the other person.  And I have been reflecting on that today.  Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, “God does not ask us to do great things.  He asks us to do things with great love.”  Perhaps it is the greatest temptation of the Evil One to trick me into thinking that my offering is not good enough so I just should not bother offering anything at all?

And yet, God Himself sent people ill-equipped for their tasks and He encouraged them to remain relatively ill-equipped.  He sent His BELOVED disciples out with NOTHING…

“And he called to him the twelve, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. And he said to them, "Where you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. And if any place will not receive you and they refuse to hear you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet for a testimony against them." So they went out and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them.” (Mark 6:7-13).Saint Paul the Apostle wrote, that God wants “all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4).

ALL MEN.

And to save them, God gives us perfectly clear instructions…  Take NOTHING.

And I have been thinking about that today  For I understand a little of what He meant by that.

There are no clever words or arguments I could use to convince someone to love God.  There are no books or tricks or strategies.  There is effectively no preparation I could ever make to convince another soul that God is waiting for them.  And yet, God sends me out – weak, flawed, miserable me – to speak about Him and love others in His Name.  And He sends me out with NOTHING…

Why?

Because it was never about me at all.  It is about God and the Power of God.  I do not control the message.  I do not formulate the arguments.  My God worths through me to do all of that.  And the more NOTHING I am the BETTER it is for Him to work, because when I am nothing, then all that anyone will ever see is HIM…

How awesome is my Lord and God.

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.