It was over 25 years ago, but I can still remember the first time I heard my then pastor recite that poem from the pulpit. He did so at the beginning of nearly every sermon he preached. Sunday after Sunday those simple, yet profound words captivated my heart.
We, the Nobodies
It touched me because I identified with that unknown author. I was him or her. Every believer is him or her. I remember those early years in my faith. I was simply bursting at the seams with joy and awe at what Jesus had done for me. Every Word I read from the Bible was an epiphany that ignited a new fire within that I could not contain. I simply had to share it with everyone I knew, any person who crossed my path, or I would burst. Back then, little hindered me. I wasn’t scared to talk about God with friends, family, co-workers, even strangers. I had found the only truth this world has to offer and I knew everyone needed to hear it.
The Writing
It wasn’t long before my passion for Jesus seeped into my writing. It was then that the Lord began pouring into me the ideas for the Theodore and All God’s Creatures Christian children’s comic and book series’. These would be platforms that would allow me to take God’s Word and deliver it to the hearts of children. All of my passion for the Lord poured out into the creation of those stories. It was a time of tremendous productivity, prayer, faith and failure.
Failure did not disengage me from God, but it did cause me, at times, to question whether or not I was qualified for the work. Poems like this one, pointed me back to Scripture where I found the encouragement to press on.
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. - Matthew 28:18-20
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: - Ephesians 4:11-12
Not Qualified, Qualified
None of us are qualified. However, the Holy Spirit in us qualifies us to serve the Lord. The Holy Spirit both empowers us and propels us to go forth and tell everyone the Good News of Jesus, the only One Who can save anyone. May we, the body of believers, all humbly accept this calling on our lives to do our part.
Special thanks to Dr. Joseph Woods, former pastor of Union Baptist Church, Morristown, NJ. for sharing this poem with me and countless others.
