The Weekly Encourager – July 20, 2017 – Earthly Failure, Eternal Gain

Has God taken away an ability you once had? Do you feel a sense of loss that you can longer do what you once did well? Was it something that made you feel good about yourself? Something that others admired? How have you dealt with this loss? Are you angry, sad, or resigned? The Scripture calls us to be thankful in all things. By God's grace, can you turn this circumstance into praise?

God gifted my friend Amy with a beautiful singing voice. Her lifelong dream has been to use her musical talent to record an album, but she got very sick. For several years she has suffered from serious health issues.

Amy wrote, “I can boast in my weakness and in my sufferings because His strength is glorified in it. When I am weak, He is strong. This week I made a recording of a song and sent it to a very few trustworthy friends. I had several people who lovingly corrected me on my singing capability. It may be one of the kindest things to have had friends who spoke the truth to me. But I have to thank God Himself right now, due to the reality check that I had to have with myself.

“First, I only have to be one thing in this life and it is me. While others may be capable of more in an area, I am only called to do 'me' and that is enough. Also, there is nothing wrong with disappointment, frustration and earthly failures. It is a gift of God in weakness to keep me humbled in Him. What a relief that God does indeed maintain my spiritual walk with Him far more than I do. Ultimately what is earthly failure can be eternal gain.

“Lastly, I'm grateful that God has allowed me to use my music talents for Him at all. It is a gift of God to desire to serve Him, though in weakness. Three years ago I was in a hospital dying...back then the doctors predicted that this malignancy would prove fatal earlier in life. I'm grateful that He's allowed me any progress at all.

“My confession today is that I can boast in this vocal weakness because the Blood of Jesus has set me free to do so. I don't need to be better than anyone else vocally. I need Jesus. That's about it. But in this life, Jesus gives us more than just Himself. He often gives us our hearts' desires, particularly when placed in His hands, but not always.

“So today, I commit that my voice is His. My pride is gone. I don't need to sing well. It's is merely a desire of my heart, that I have believed to be from Him. However, I am OK with me. I know that I want Him to make my voice do whatever He wants, even if it is to stop. May His will be done in my voice as it is in Heaven. My desire is not enough pleasure to me to displease Him. I don't need man's approval, but I do need His.”

Amy's public confession had special significance for me. I have had to wrestle with the fact of losing my professional singing voice and career, a career which brought me a lot of satisfaction, as well as the admiration of others and a decent income. Amy feels that if she is not completely willing to give up her talent, then He can't use her, either by giving opportunity to use her voice, or by enabling her to accept the answer No. She doesn't want to become resentful, but to remain “tender” in her heart, even through loss.

I remember one time as a teenager when I was a guest soloist at my voice teacher's church. After the service, an older lady I didn't know came up to me and complimented me. Then she said something I will never forget, “Use your voice for the Lord.” God is sovereign over all things, including the gifts He gives us to honor Him.

“Do not fear, O land, rejoice and be glad, for the Lord has done great things….So rejoice, O sons of Zion, and be glad in the Lord your God...I will make up to you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the creeping locust, the stripping locust, and the gnawing locust, my great army which I sent among you. And you shall have plenty to eat and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you.” - Joel 2:21-26

This is the same God who created us from dust to rise up and breathe deep and serve Him with thanksgiving! We “come before His presence with singing” even if He takes away our voices. He will make up to us any loss that we endure in this life. He will restore all that was lost, and it will be better than before.

So give Him all your honest emotions. Be completely willing to give back your gifts, your education, your health, your money, your time, even your loved ones. Fight the good fight, grateful for whatever ministry He provides. In Christ, who died and rose again, losing everything only to gain it back with glory, earthly failure can be eternal gain.

God is faithful and good,
j

Quotations above are from a conversation with my friend Amy Fortner Nelson and her friend Donna Miller on Facebook, June 18-19, 2017. Used and edited by permission.