What is in your hand?

Most of us have heard of the saying, “If you wait for the perfect conditions, you will never start” over and over. Living in the future tense is a psychological impediment that easily thwarts one from appreciating and living life as it comes. It creates an illusion that the future is better than the present thus causing one to long for the future whilst living in the present – denying themselves of the opportunities and blessings that come with the present. “When I finally ‘Make it’ then I will be happy,” “When I have money then I will do this,” “When God blesses me with a job then I can do that,” then I will, then I will and then I will. These are the kind of thoughts that gallivant through one’s mind in belief that the season that seems out of reach but yet possible is the epitome of one’s happiness.

 

Looking at the story of Moses in Exodus; Moses is called by God to deliver the children of Israel from the enslaving hand of Pharaoh but he lays excuses before God on how he is not an eloquent speaker and how the children of Israel would not believe that he was sent by God. Exodus 4:2 says “Then the Lord said to him, what is in your hand? A staff he replied.” Verse 17 continues, “And you shall take this rod in your hand with which you shall work the signs [that prove I sent you].” From this verse we see that God uses the rod/staff that Moses was carrying (to shepherd his father-in-laws’ flock) as a signage for the Israelites and Pharaoh to believe that indeed he was sent by God. What can be gleaned from this passage is that God can use the least expected avenues, experiences in one’s life to fulfil a particular purpose.

 

The tendency to seek after what we do not have instead of using what has been made available to us by God baulks our chances of living to our maximum potential. We constantly live from a place of when I get this, when I become this, when I have that, when I reach that place then it will be easier, then life will be better…We become so used to complaining about things that we always find fault with our lives, ourselves, our environment, surroundings, and the seasons we go through in life - to the point where we end up forfeiting the blessings that are meant to come with that season or that particular time of our lives.

 

Instead of going before God and saying here is my life, here is my situation, here are my gifts and talents use them for Your glory; we boisterously make affront comments and remarks before the Lord, pleading with Him to make life better and to move us to the next season because the current one sucks. The truth is (I have come to learn) there is always hidden treasure in every encounter, situation or season. No experience goes wasted before the Lord lest we allow it to. The constant chase for one experience after the next not only robs one of encountering the manifestation of God’s power but it lends one in an unappreciative state of life itself. For example you pray; “I want to go to varsity.” You get to varsity and find that varsity is not as easy as you anticipated it to be – you pray to finish the degree as soon you can because you just can’t stand being in varsity anymore, and guess what, you do finish. Now that you have finished your degree you need a job. You start complaining to God about how you’re tired of staying at home having no money, etcetera and etcetera. Then you get the job, only to find that it’s not the kind of environment you expected and your boss is not the best boss in the whole world, then what? You complain again? Lord I need another job? You see the pattern.  Or here is another one. You get out of varsity still single, start working still single, then you start complaining to God about how everyone is getting married except you. Then God gives you a husband, only for you to realize that he is not the prince charming you thought he was – he is a human being, and he has flaws. What’s next? You again complaining to God, oh! Lord but this husband… I mean the complaining never stops! When do you get to appreciate anything?  

 

My question to you is: what is in your hand today? What season are you going through or what experience are you dreading to live through in your life at the moment? My advice to you: give it to God. God will use the very least that you’d expect good to come out from to display His splendour, greatness, signs and wonders in your life. The little that God has blessed you with – use it to glorify Him. Do not wait for perfect conditions to live your life, to be a blessing to someone, to explore, to live bountifully in His presence. Start now! Because perfect conditions are never perfect anyway – there is always imperfection in perfection. Let go of what is in your hand, whether it be a talent, gift, dream, vision, situation and let God use it to create a meaningful and fulfilling life for you. Stop saying, “If only I was this,” “If only I had money,” “If only I was eloquent (just like Moses said)” “If only I was fortunate enough,” “If only I had a job,” “If only I was married,” “If only, if only, if only!” Start living in the now. God has given you enough to sustain you at this very moment – He can take the little that you have and turn it into a testimony just like he turned Moses’ ordinary rod/staff into a rod of miracles and wonders. All you have to do is stop complaining about what you don’t have or what you can never be and appreciate what God has placed in your hand at the very present.

 

Much love, be blessed.