Inadequacy and Trust

I received a humorous greeting card once that said, “You have many hidden talents. I hope somebody finds one of them some day.”

Everyone has some talent, skill, ability, or charism, and God expects us to use all of our gifts to the extent that opportunities are provided. Don’t bury your talents, says God’s Word (see Mt 25:25). Let your light shine, but only so that God may be glorified, “and it gives light to all in the house” (Mt 5:15).

Like a family breadwinner fired from his job, the forlorn person is afflicted with a sense of inadequacy or lack of competence or self-confidence. This sometimes leads to the state of feeling bereft of God’s presence, with darkness of mind and dryness in prayer. In this state of affairs, the door is opened to any number of demons, including a feeling of inferiority, discouragement, or even despair. As for so many other weaknesses to which humanity is heir, the solution lies in acquiescence to God’s will and plans. By blindly trusting in God, we can be gifted with the conviction that his Spirit is dynamically at work within us in the innermost depths of our being, even when we feel inadequate to accomplish anything for him, for others, or for ourselves. By persistent faith-activated trust, we can be lifted out of the pit of negativism, to absorb a portion of God’s own majestic sense of worth.

This excerpt is from the book Pathways of Trust, by John H. Hampsch,C.M.F., originally published by Servant Publications. It and other of Fr. Hampsch's books and audio/visual materials can be purchased from Claretian Teaching Ministry, 20610 Manhattan Pl, #120, Torrance, CA 90501-1863. Phone 1-310-782-6408.