It’s Time to Expand Yourself

Last updated on: May 26, 2018 at 8:41 am by Frank Viola

It’s Time to Expand Yourself 2018-05-26T08:41:46-04:00 Frank Viola

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The following is a guest post by Lee Wilkerson.

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Some years ago, when my son was around 10 years old, he brought home a library book about bees. For some time I was treated to pictures and facts about bees, and that was that- for about 6 months. Then, out of nowhere came the announcement, “Dad, I’d like to get some bees.” I nodded with a casual shrug, “Sure.”

About 10 seconds later came the realization that I, the father of a 10 year old, had volunteered to do bees.

It really wasn’t that bad; I actually got comfortable with them. We’d check the hives and not bother with the bee suits, and sometimes not bother with the gloves. Little by little, 45 years of “Not me” went down the drain and I was different. I went beyond my comfort zone, helped strengthen my relationship with my son, and learned about some of God’s amazing creatures. My son, of course, did not have any, “Not me,” to work through. That is how a child operates.

There is a lot to be said for learning new skills. Not just that we become more marketable, but that we also become more malleable. How can I claim to be clay in the Potter’s hands if I can’t even stretch myself to take a class and upgrade my computer skills so I can function in the 21st century? I will not always have my son around to bail me out of my technology problems, and it certainly is not going to happen in front of the TV.

The problem for most of us is that on the road to becoming malleable we must become vulnerable. I once had a trumpet teacher who said, “I get adult students, but they usually don’t last. They don’t want to play ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb,’ and you just have to start simple.” Of course, “Mary Had a Little Lamb” is familiar territory to a child, which is why children learn so readily. We must become as little children and that takes…guts. It’s easy for a little child to be a little child- it’s native territory; it’s a far different thing for an adult. I have to put my ego on the line.

“Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” (Lu 18:17 NASB)

I have to broaden my horizons to include the New Creation that God has made, and that means vulnerability. That means being where God can teach me love, and patience, and humility. And we all know that God’s school of humility does not graduate many Phd’s.

That may sound abstract, but some of the courses might be:

The church really could use more help with the worship, and I could help if I upgraded my guitar playing just a bit. I wouldn’t have to bother someone to find out what a b minor 7th chord is. Or maybe I could even be the person who could show that chord to someone else.

The fellowship could really use someone to run the sound, or operate the projector or record the meeting. Sometimes Christian endeavors are really dippy because no one invests the time to make equipment run smoothly.

The kids really need someone to coach their basketball team. “Surely not me, I don’t know coaching!” But maybe I could learn. Maybe I could expand myself and actually be there for my kids. Maybe I could put myself in a different situation and be stretched. With me as coach they may not win, but they won’t be out on the street because of adult indifference.

If I brushed up on my Spanish I could make some of these people more comfortable around me. I might not be able to explain all the details to them, but it would show that someone cared.

If I learned how to take care of myself and went to the gym regularly I could get my health under control and I might actually be a factor in my grandchildrens’ lives.

Those are a small sample of things that could be useful, but everyone’s list is different. If I had said, “No” when my son asked about bees he would have found something else to do, and someone else to do it with. He would also have learned a lesson about his dad that I would not want him to have learned. When I went through with the project he learned something about me, and so did I.

When God is knocking on the door, if I turn Him down, His purpose will be accomplished one way or another, but I won’t be the agent, I won’t be the one who is blessed, and I will still be ignorant about myself.

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For more on the topic of self-expansion, read 3 Ingredients for Having an New Amazing Year.

Lee Wilkerson has spent the last 40 years teaching Bible and music, having been involved in church work in Spain, Japan, Alaska and Canada. He and his wife, Claire, are currently back in Akron, Ohio where Lee grew up. He is the author of the book The Letters in Red, and is currently developing a blog by the same name.

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