Confidence Training
Stories
Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit
Series IV, Cycle B
Confidence Training
Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (vv. 4-6)
Do you remember what it was like to learn to drive? It's amazing how an activity can be both exciting and scary at the same time. In a Washington Post article, Phil McCombs reports the following conversation between Meghan Huggins, a sixteen-year-old sophomore and novice driver and her driving instructor, Patrick Norris.
Meghan said, "I don't know how you do this job. It would be scary."
Norris replied, "Yeah. Some individuals are really scared."
The girl asked, "Don't you get scared?"
The man responded, "Naw. It's not in my vocabulary."
She inquired, "What if I swerved?"
In a comforting tone, he answered, "I would grab the wheel and bring it back over."
In fact, Norris did just that. As Meghan wandered over the line, the instructor's left hand -- with a calm, quick flick -- had corrected the mistake. He hadn't scolded, berated, or panicked. He simply asked gently: "What are you doing over there? Aren't you watching the lines?"
His attitude seemed to be that it is the responsibility of the novice driver to make mistakes, be corrected, and learn. His relaxed attitude was effective. In fact, with no more instruction, Meghan drove for the next hour without again crossing the line.
Throughout, Norris remained an unwavering positive presence to his student. He would coach, "Easy. Slow up ... Gentle ... Keep your foot on the brake ... Excellent!" He was more like a psychologist than the usual driving instructor -- the nervous parents.
Most of us could only dream of our driving lessons going so smoothly. It really doesn't make much difference if we are the student or the teacher. Either way, driving lessons make us nervous and scared.
Now correct me if I'm wrong, but those two emotions are probably also how you feel about the prospects of engaging in ministry. You may feel compelled and called to serve God, but you may be wondering, "How can I ever get the courage to actually get started?"
The key is to not rely on your own abilities and to be open to learning even when you are nervous. We need to remember that we are not alone when we engage in ministry. God is our co-pilot and driving instructor. Just like we did eventually learn how to drive and now it seems so effortless, we can count on God to gently teach us how to serve in ministry.
In time, ministry will become second nature to us. We can be trained with confidence that comes from God instead of self. Just as God made Paul confident and competent through faith, we too can rely on God's ability to lead us in ministry.
(Phil McCombs, "Teaching the Crash Course" Washington Post, June 14, 1999.)
Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (vv. 4-6)
Do you remember what it was like to learn to drive? It's amazing how an activity can be both exciting and scary at the same time. In a Washington Post article, Phil McCombs reports the following conversation between Meghan Huggins, a sixteen-year-old sophomore and novice driver and her driving instructor, Patrick Norris.
Meghan said, "I don't know how you do this job. It would be scary."
Norris replied, "Yeah. Some individuals are really scared."
The girl asked, "Don't you get scared?"
The man responded, "Naw. It's not in my vocabulary."
She inquired, "What if I swerved?"
In a comforting tone, he answered, "I would grab the wheel and bring it back over."
In fact, Norris did just that. As Meghan wandered over the line, the instructor's left hand -- with a calm, quick flick -- had corrected the mistake. He hadn't scolded, berated, or panicked. He simply asked gently: "What are you doing over there? Aren't you watching the lines?"
His attitude seemed to be that it is the responsibility of the novice driver to make mistakes, be corrected, and learn. His relaxed attitude was effective. In fact, with no more instruction, Meghan drove for the next hour without again crossing the line.
Throughout, Norris remained an unwavering positive presence to his student. He would coach, "Easy. Slow up ... Gentle ... Keep your foot on the brake ... Excellent!" He was more like a psychologist than the usual driving instructor -- the nervous parents.
Most of us could only dream of our driving lessons going so smoothly. It really doesn't make much difference if we are the student or the teacher. Either way, driving lessons make us nervous and scared.
Now correct me if I'm wrong, but those two emotions are probably also how you feel about the prospects of engaging in ministry. You may feel compelled and called to serve God, but you may be wondering, "How can I ever get the courage to actually get started?"
The key is to not rely on your own abilities and to be open to learning even when you are nervous. We need to remember that we are not alone when we engage in ministry. God is our co-pilot and driving instructor. Just like we did eventually learn how to drive and now it seems so effortless, we can count on God to gently teach us how to serve in ministry.
In time, ministry will become second nature to us. We can be trained with confidence that comes from God instead of self. Just as God made Paul confident and competent through faith, we too can rely on God's ability to lead us in ministry.
(Phil McCombs, "Teaching the Crash Course" Washington Post, June 14, 1999.)
