Sometimes Its Hard to be Humble
There's a country song by Mac Davis that goes, "Oh Lord, its hard to be humble when you're perfect in every way..." The song is tongue-in-cheek, of course. And I certainly would never claim to be perfect. But at the same time I believe you can remain humble even while recognizing (and celebrating) your own talents. I can objectively say that God has gifted me in many ways -- ways that have helped me to be successful in most of my life's endeavors. Perhaps my most recognizable talent is my art abilities. I knew at a relatively early age that I had an innate talent for art -- drawing, painting, etc. I continued to develop that gift through art classes in high school and college. Then began a career in advertising illustration and graphic design, first in New York City and then here in Phoenix. Now that I'm in the ministry I still find many uses for my artistic talents, from designing church logos and brochures, to creating Powerpoint slides for worship and illustrated art sermons.
I can sing (I love singing harmony -- I have a good ear for it), play guitar (a little -- I'm getting back to it again), and enjoy a wide variety of music. I love to read and write, which is why sermon preparation hasn't been as much of a challenge for me as it is for a lot of pastors. I'm above average in intelligence, I look younger than my 59 years, I'm in excellent health and I'm happily married for over 38 years. As I said, I've been blessed!
I'm also a creative person. I think I have an unusual combination of left brain and right brain. The right brain contributes my abilities in art, music and overall creativity. I am good at problem solving, often coming up with creative solutions that others don't see. On the left brain side, I'm organized, a linear-thinker, border-line obsessive-compulsive. Years ago I taught myself several computer programming languages and still enjoy programming in HTML code. I have a lot of different interests and, I feel, a lot of good to share with the world.
I'm confident in my abilities and enjoy being able to do a lot of different things well. I'm an entrepreneur who has started several different business ventures, some more successful that others. That entrepreneurial spirit has served me well in starting new churches. The main thing is that I use all these gifts in my ministry. I think that's why God gave them to me. In the Parable of the Talents Jesus encourages each of us to use the talents and gifts we have been given so that we might receive God's blessings.
When you're starting a new church I think you have to be confident in your own abilities as well as have faith that God is working through you. And if you always give God the credit and the glory, its not too hard to be humble.
Blessings,
Steve