When You Feel Like a Failure, Consider This …

A few years ago I took on something big. My family and I teamed up with our local church family and hit the streets to “Rock the Block.” Armed with bounce houses, food, music and God’s Word we invited our community to join us in area parks and hang out awhile.

We’d never attempted anything like this before. A lot of people asked a lot of questions, and I begged God to show us the answers.

For months we prepared … we hung signs and held training. We organized welcome tables and activity groups. When the time finally arrived to Rock the Block, I scurried about with my clipboard making sure everything went as planned.

What I did not do was clean my car.

God sent an angel named Ms. Lesle who held down my fort. She bathed and fed my little ones each night then washed and folded laundry after they went to bed.

But the car, that’s another story.

It filled with trash, crumbs and anything else I didn’t feel like dragging into the house. (Let’s be honest – this picture isn’t all that different than a normal week.)

On the final night of Rock the Block I brought all six of my kids to the park. It went surprisingly well right up until the end of the night. As the children dismissed and went on their way, my toddler drove his head into the ground and sliced it open. We grabbed the first aid kit and applied pressure. The bleeding stopped, but blood still stained the side of his face as we carried him to the car.

In the meantime my 7-year old took a giant pixie-stick and dumped most of the sugar into his hand. The remaining colored-powder formed a mountain on the floor in the backseat … and my dear husband, Luke, could no longer stand the health hazard I called my car.

Instead of packing up and driving home, Luke went to work cleaning out the car right there in the parking lot. We stayed a good while longer than everyone else … and the car never did make to it “clean”, but finally it improved enough for us to call it a day and drive home.

Then … the miracle.

The next Sunday at church one of the families we met at Rock the Block joined us. Thrilled to see them, we hugged and got to know each other more. And then she said it, “Katy, when we were leaving the other night I told my husband, ‘Look at their backseat. They’re just like us!'”

Isn’t it amazing to consider the failure that holds us hostage may be the very thing God uses to set someone free?

Whaaaaat?!?

Secretly, I felt so ashamed of that car. Surely “great” women would never let this happen to their vehicles. No matter how tired they are, no matter how much they need to do, certainly they would not let this happen.

That car beat me up every time I stepped into it – accusing me of not being good enough, labeling me a failure.

But while I worried about the disaster in my car, God used it to connect my family to another. God took what trapped and accused me to bring life and assurance to the heart of someone else. Who knew God could use my messy car to draw others to Himself?

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13 (NIV)

Too often we come up with reasons why we don’t cut it. Why we can’t handle God’s assignment or aren’t worthy of it. God chose ordinary, uneducated men to change the world. I love the end of that verse, “they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” 

When it was all said and done, God brought us more than 200 kids and some parents to laugh with and love on at Rock the Block. It’s likely God used the Bible stories, songs of praise and other acts of kindness to bless the people who spent time with us those weeks … but I’m positive He used my messy car to do the exact same thing.

I love journeying with you, friend, and I pray this weekend as we celebrate our freedom, you may also be set free from the worries and failures that hold you back from God’s best. 

Thank you Lisa for the beautiful image at the top of this post!