When You Are Feeling Ineffective or Inadequate

Do you ever doubt your effectiveness? Do you ever feel inadequate? Like you’re not enough or you’re not doing enough? I do. I want to reach the hopeless. I want to go on missions trips. I want to lead people to Christ. I want to be used. I want to to see results.

Most recently when these thoughts invaded my mind I felt the Spirit say, “No. No you’re not ineffective. Yes, you are being used. In ways that you don’t always physically see.”

He reminded me that just because I can’t see the results doesn’t mean they’re not there. Just as I believe He exists through faith without seeing him. I have to believe. Just because I can’t see the reactions or the final outcome doesn’t mean I haven’t been fruitful.

Thousands of people have visited this blog in the last 2 months since I ‘opened it’s doors’ to the public. And I have no idea what good may have come from it. But God does.

When I call a friend because I just feel I should. When I stop and pray with my children. When I offer love instead of anger. When I extend forgiveness instead of cruelty. When I give a helping hand. When I extend peace when there is no harmony.

God reminds me these are my acts of service. These are acts of love. I may not see the results but they prevail just as He does.

I love this quote by Saint Augustine, “Faith is to believe what you do not see: the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.

I’ve been working on memorizing this verse and it’s so fitting to what I’m feeling: For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

That’s my prayer today. God, help me live out these qualities. Help me to act out love and self control and goodness. And if I continue to do this it will keep me from being ineffective. That’s my heart’s cry this day, this week, this month. I don’t want my life to be for nothing. I want it to stand for something.

When I awake to a new dawn may it be with both joy in my heart and fruitfulness in my spirit!

Go embrace the day! Are you feeling refreshed today?

Love and blessings to you!