Written By: Angela Howard

Do you ever feel disqualified?  Have you experienced failure, heartbreak, or committed a sin that left you wondering if you should be benched, banned or declared ineligible for service?  I have.  It’s defeat at its highest and it’s likely a distortion of the truth.

I’m not good enough.
Why would God choose me?
When will I ever be free from sin?
I’ll never make the cut.
My hard work is all for nothing.

It’s easy to notice that this destructive internal dialogue is totally self-focused.  It’s all about shame, a little dose of self-pity and a whole lot of self-sufficiency.  It’s pretty hard to find the good news of Jesus under the weight of all that garbage.  And grace?  Well, you’ll be hard pressed to remember that truth.

Last week I felt like a scarlet letter had been stamped on my favourite sweater.  I was sure that big fat red letters were superimposed on my life: YOU’RE DISQUALIFIED.  With the title came an overpowering grief over my perceived shortcomings and a sense of profound disappointment.  I couldn’t help but to think of David as he penned Psalm 40.  He was probably overwhelmed by his sin or the consequences of his sin.  He cries out to the Lord in deep sorrow, but his experience is quite different from the above litany of questions and despair that I listed.  Let’s see what David said…

I waited patiently for the LORD to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the LORD.
Oh, the joys of those who trust the LORD,
who have no confidence in the proud
or in those who worship idols.
O LORD my God, you have performed many wonders for us.
Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
You have no equal.
If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
I would never come to the end of them. Psalm 40:1-5 (NLT)

David teaches us that when we are overwhelmed and feeling disqualified we can make some powerful choices that will change everything!

We can… (action steps)

Wait on God
Praise God
Trust in God
Show Gratitude to God

God will… (His promises)

Lift us Out of Despair
Steady us on Solid Ground
Give us a New Song
Give us Joy

I have to admit that this is sounding a lot better than wallowing in self-pity and diving deep into hopelessness.  If you are feeling disqualified you’re not alone and this is not the end of your journey.  God is the author of new beginnings and He has a plan for you today!

God is the author of new beginnings and He has a plan for you today! – Angela Howard Click To Tweet

Which of the above action steps will you choose today?  I’d love to hear from you!  Comment below or start a conversation on social media.

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