I wanted to be Somebody who would make a difference in teenagers' lives.
I wanted to be Somebody who convinced our church that teenagers really do matter.
And sadly, I wanted to be Somebody who was seen as Very, Very Important because of the sacrifices I was making to be a youth pastor.
You see, I've put quite a bit of time and energy into trying to be a Somebody. Maybe you have the same story. Maybe you have really, really wanted to be a Somebody, and so you have subtly (or not-so-subtly) taken steps to make sure that people see you as a Somebody.
I think it's time we try a different approach. Instead, we need to be a Nobody. But not just any Nobody; God's Nobody.
Dwight L. Moody gives an amazingly succinct but powerful synopsis of Moses' life in just one sentence. As you know, Moses was raised in Pharaoh's court, but after an altercation that left an Egyptian that left the Egyptian dead, Moses had to flee Egypt. It was only after many more years that God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Here's what Moody said about Moses:*
Moses spent forty years in Pharaoh's court thinking he was somebody, forty years in the desert learning he was a nobody, and forty years discovering what God can do with a nobody.
We are able to be used when we stop being Somebody and decide to be Nobody. This attitude is difficult to maintain as a youth pastor--or any ministry leader--because our role comes with the temptation to be Somebody. But we are able to serve at our best when we are simply content to be a Nobody. Because is really is amazing what God can do with a Nobody.
So today, you have permission to stop trying to be a Somebody. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but it wasn't working anyway. Instead, be a Nobody. And don't just be any Nobody; be God's Nobody. Because God much prefers to use Nobodies over Somebodies. It's just kind of the way he works.
*This quote appears in many forms, in part because it seems that Moody said it in several different sermons. I don't believe that it appears in print in any of Moody's books, although if it does, I'd be grateful to anyone who would show me where.
