“May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory for ever and ever.” Hebrews 13:20-21
When I was growing up, my sister, cousins, and I would spend a week with my grandparents each summer. While we were staying there, we would be given chores to complete every morning before getting to play around the property. With every chore came a toolbox. Sometimes, the tools were cleaning supplies while others were rakes and garden hoses. The tools always went back into the box when the chores were finished.
Things tended to get crazy when we swapped tools and tried completing the chores with someone else’s tools.
In the same way my grandparents equipped their five granddaughters with the tools needed to complete specific tasks, God has equipped each of us. God has given us gifts that we need to serve Him. Some of these gifts will be the same while others will be different. At times, even the same skills and talents will be used in different ways. God has equipped us to do good things for His glory. It isn’t dependent upon our mind, our skill, or even our desire to complete the task. He is simply handing us the tools that we need to follow His instructions.
Lately, God has been challenging me to use what He has given me in different ways. Through the pandemic, God has reminded me that while the tools go back into the box, He Himself does not. His will usually falls outside of my own understanding. God calls for my obedience and a willingness to serve Him. Instead of relying on my understanding of how to use the tools given to me, I have had to seek God on how He wants me to use them. When I rely on God instead of my own understanding, that is when I become the tool in His hand.