Reflection 3rd Sunday Advent: Fear Not - You Are Inadequate

Fear Not - You Are Inadequate (Jn 1:6-8,19-28)

Here's a little proverb that I think each of us should live by; “Fear not, you are inadequate.” Don’t get upset, take it as a complement; especially in the light of the reading.

John the Baptist was a great man. Jesus Christ said: "Of all of the men born of women, none was greater than John the Baptist."

And what did John the Baptist say about the Christ? "There is one who is coming after me whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” John the Baptist knew that in comparison to Christ, he was inadequate!

Think about our inadequacies. As a parent, a teacher, a nurse, an advocate for justice, or simply a friend, there are times when you face your own inadequacy. Times we are helpless in the face of all we should be doing.

At these times, it is important to remember that only God is adequate and none of us are God. God is a better parent, teacher, nurse, advocate, and friend than any of us could ever be. God alone is adequate. 

In the roles these titles give us, we are only God’s instruments and tools. Important tools because we bear His mark. But, unlike God, we are not adequate to do anything He asks us on our own.

John the Baptist gives us a clue about being a great instrument of God. Forget our selves and dedicate our lives to the One that transcends selfish interests and human pride. I am a voice crying in the wilderness; make straight the way of the Lord.

Inadequacy is a hard pill for a lot of us to swallow. Many strive for to receive the respect and esteem from others. And, it doesn’t matter really how high or low we may be on the ladder of social importance.

But, think of all the really great people we’ve known. Not the politicians, not the celebrities, but real people; think of the lives of the saints. If we really think about them, we find that they are people who could careless about their own importance.  They really never know they are important. They forget themselves in what is really important for them: continuing God’s work without cynicism or discouragement in difficult tasks.

If honors come to them, they appreciate them; but, they go on about their task. It doesn’t matter to them if they are recognized for what they do, and usually they're surprised when they are recognized.

Maybe, they feel they are inadequate.

Our lives are not an accident. Every one of our lives is given to us by God to accomplish His will. We are the instruments that bring His loving presence to a suffering world; making His kingdom real by how we live our lives and how we treat people.

We need to strive to be inadequate instruments like John the Baptist; crying out in actions and words to make the lives of others a little bit better; clearing the path that brings the hope, peace, joy, and love of Christ to those who have none. 

With Christ’s presence in our lives, we are God's instruments. Each day His Presence will reach and touch others through us. This is no small thing to have happened to any man or woman.

That pretty good those of us who live by the proverb “fear not, you are inadequate.”