Are You a Missing Nail?
by Chaplain Jim Robinson
It is important to do all we can, and the best we can, in the Lord’s service.
When we are up against a large, seemingly insurmountable "mountain" of obstacles, we naturally look for a mountain-size solution. Instead, we often find there is a combination of partial solutions – a series of helpful acts that when put together, surmount that mountain!
Sometimes that series of helpful actions has missing pieces, thus the work/project is slowed or put on hold. It is easy to give up the task, the mission, the duty, when we don’t see what appears to be the answer to solve the problem.
A few weeks ago I asked a friend in whom I have a great deal of confidence, and whose judgment I trust, if he would consider heading up a financial support committee for His Way Ministries to raise a large sum of money to build the hospitality lodge needed here at Buffalo Ridge. (I am looking ahead.)
He called me recently to tell me that he couldn’t accept the task. I was disappointed, but knew he had given it careful consideration. But – would you believe – I was also elated! God has a different plan. I realized I had done all I knew to do; I can now say from a trusting heart, "God, take over! Please care for these obstacles; we cannot."
Do you understand what I am saying? It is important to do all that we can do, even the little things. The following is usually attributed to Benjamin Franklin:
"For want of a nail, the shoe was lost,
For want of the shoe, the horse was lost,
For want of the horse, the rider was lost,
For want of the rider, the battle was lost,
For want of the battle, the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail!"
The work He has called us to seems impossible, humanly speaking. But God, who has called us to this mountainous task, will continue to use His people to make it happen. Praise the Lord!
The Kingdom of God will ultimately be victorious. It will not fail. Our Lord will see to that. However, in the freedom He gives us, causes, within His will, do sometimes fail because one or more of us do not supply the "nail" or are disobedient in other ways.
Could you possibly be one of the nails, comprising the ultimate solution in the mission of His Way Ministries’ Buffalo Ridge Hospitality and Retreat Center?
It is natural for us to think, "Anything I can do would be too small to make any difference." When that thought comes to your mind – remember the horseshoe nail!