5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.
Near the beginning of the movie Shrek, Donkey is proud of the fact he has scared off the enemy. Moments later he finds Shrek standing behind him and his self-image is shot. Donkey thought for a moment that he was able to stand against those who were chasing him. He thought he was stronger and bigger than he was in actuality. He thought his presence was powerful enough to cause the enemy to run in fear. Or the little boy at the end of the 1997 movie La Vita è bella, “Life is Beautiful” who sees the tank rolling up and believes he has won the prize his father told him about. His world is so small and simple, he has survived a Nazi death camp built on the hope his father instilled in him, that if he stayed hidden, he would win the game and get the prize of a tank. If you haven’t seen that movie, I would recommend it. The boy’s perspective changed as he grew up. He understood the sacrifice his father had made for him. It was not his hiding that had saved his life; it was his father’s actions. Our perspective can get skewed at times. We can think that we actually have something to offer God; that our skills, or talents, or wit, or good looks will make God a better choice for someone seeking answers to life’s questions. We sometimes come to God with our hands full thinking God needs what we have. When I first became a Jesus-follower I often thought I was someone special, I could add something to the kingdom of God. After all He had chosen me. But the more I walk this life, almost thirty two years now, the more I realize that my hands are empty of anything of value. After all, God is God. What could He possibly need that He has not already provided? I now try to come with hands empty. It is humbling to come that way, nothing to offer but emptiness, but that is the way I try to come. Often when I rush into His presence I have things in my hands that I have to get rid of before I can “be real” with Him. But once I empty what I thought I had of value, God is able to put in my empty hands eternity. And when I get eternity in my hands, what else is there of value.
The Arnold Journey 