I noticed something when a gathering of average-sized people hung out at my place the other day. They didn’t
fit. Never thought of my 700sq. ft. rental as small or considered that
everything in my home is to scale before that day. When you’re 4’11” and less
than 115lbs soaking wet, you just naturally look for homes, furniture,
appliances, stuff… that fits.
You also look for places you can fit. Maybe this harks back to countless frenzied hide-and-seek games from childhood. But I think mostly
it’s about doing something unique to me. Doing something that fits me. Thus, the doggie door pic. I couldn’t resist. And this got me
thinking. We are always looking for where we
fit in life. Do I fit with this person?
Do I fit this ministry? Am I a good
fit for this job? And we can draw
great comfort and courage from these guiding principles of how God fits us in
life.
God can fit us for what’s
next even through unfavorable circumstances. Think Joseph in the OT. Being sold into slavery by your own brothers
is pretty bad, folks. But what appears to be the worst possible defining moment
of his life becomes the very circumstance that catapults him to incredible
human success and usefulness to God.
Ruth walks
into a strange land as a childless widow hanging on the arm of her childless,
widowed, bitter mother-in-law. Beth’s commentary? Is no bueno for Ruth. And
yet, in just a few chapters, she’s married to a wealthy, righteous man, with child,
and fit into the line of Christ. Could not have predicted that one. And neither
could Ruth.
God may fit us where we initially think we fit the
least. Think Naaman’s little servant
girl. Think Esther. Think Daniel. The newly converted Saul of Tarsus…Yeah, they
didn’t really seem to fit in where God placed them. And yet, we look back and marvel
at how they did.
God will fit us where it glorifies Him the most. God is most concerned for His glory. That’s His
motive in all His works. He’s in it for His name’s sake. And to bring Him the greatest
glory possible with our vapor-wisp lives is our deepest longing this side of
Heaven. We can rest confident that God’s going to fit us where we can.
God will go with us wherever He fits us. When my congregation was asked to share their favorite promises a few weeks ago, I was not surprised this one was first: ‘I will never leave thee
nor forsake thee.’ It should be. If I have God, I have joy that cannot be
quenched. If I have God, I have strength for anything. If I have God, I have a
peace that cannot be explained. If I have God, I have satisfaction. If I have
God, I can endure, conquer, rest, be bold, love…I can do all and be all that I
should through Him. In a way, God’s
presence makes me a perfect fit wherever I find myself.
God will fit us according to our desires and personality. The One who knows our past, body,
thoughts, movements, and loves is the One who is ordering our steps. He has
promised to bring delight to me
through that ordering, and to grant the
desires of my heart as I delight in Him. There is no other way to parse
those promises. The God who has full knowledge of me, uses that to work all things together for me. In other words, His intimate acquaintance with who I am guides God’s actions towards me. He will not call me to serve Him in accounting (which I strongly dislike
and abhor and have no skill in), when I love to worship Him through writing and
music. He’ll probably never call me to minister in a village of introverts. I
would hurt them. You get the point.
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So, assuming God has more
important things to fit us for than going through doggie doors, take heart. He
is the God who fits. And He is ours.
Beth
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