Years ago, entering Middle School, I tested into the Talented And Gifted (TAG) program. I'd always performed well in school and I was a confident test-taker. I got in, but I never actually enrolled in TAG. I saw it as too much stress, too much effort, for the pay-out, which was... what exactly?
Twenty-five years later I have an oh-so-talented-and-gifted son, AJ. He's my mini-me. School has always come easy for him, too. Our brains work pretty much the same. We drive each other crazy.
AJ also tested into the "special program" going into middle school. In this new millennium, Talented and Gifted has been through a rebrand and is now called Highly Capable. Eddie and I tease AJ about how highly capable he is at taking out the garbage, taking care of his hygiene and a myriad other bothersome tasks he doesn't want to do. He dreams of taking the world by storm, but isn't too interested in flossing.
Did I mention he's my mini-me?
I too want to take the world by storm; at least Belize. I know that I'm oh-so-capable of doing big important things. But the mundane? The repetitive? I'm still not sure the effort is worth the pay-out. It's those humble tasks, rather than giant overtures, that prompt me to quote Philippians.
Philippians 4:12-13
For I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength.
In Philippians, Paul talks about how highly capable he is too. He has the family connections, citizenship, education and piety to write his own ticket in life. Despite that, Paul was put through the ringer. In his letter to the Philippian church, Paul acknowledges that it's not his strength, pedigree or good-looks that carry him through the hard times. He relies on God's power to overcome any situation, any hurdle set before him.
Whether my hurdles are big or small, I can persist instead of giving up. I can see it through, if I don't solely rely on my own strength. I need, more often, to take a page from Paul's book and remember Who's highly capable hands I'm in.
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