Helplessness degrades self-worth, making the world grow dim. But what if the path to hope starts by embracing powerlessness?
During my husband’s holiday break from teaching, I took a break from writing. December has also been a hard month with disabling migraines, so I often needed to avoid my computer, anyway. One thing that helps me, though, is the distraction of stories. Around mid-December, I heard two true stories that went beyond a numbing distraction and struck a deeply personal chord. The first was Dallas Jenkins’s story of his dark moment before the Lord called him to create the TV series The Chosen. The second was Jonathan Roumie’s story before accepting the role of Jesus for the show. Their stories touched me because they both reached utter failure and helplessness in their creative ventures and careers. They had thought they were making their choices and sacrifices for the Lord until all their efforts were in vain. Then they realized how little they were actually seeking God’s will. So, God gave them no choice but to depend entirely on him to bring them through.
I relate, not because of one particular moment of disparity, but because of many moments of helplessness. Only God can make something out of the little I’m able to do.
“Remember, it’s not your job to feed the 5,000. Your job is bring your loaves and fish.”
God used this Facebook message to minister to Dallas in his dark moment, and it became the motto for The Chosen Project. It touched me deeply as I heard his testimony, echoing a similar message I received in my many dark moments.
I don’t want to sound like a commercial for the show, but please pray for Dallas, the creator, and all the actors who have become icons for Christianity across the globe. Their outreach is unprecedented, and it’s a long way to fall, with over 200 million viewers to see it happen. It is one of the most-watched shows in the world, and based on social media responses, 30% of the viewers are non-Christians. It has broken the record for the most translated TV show, with over 50 languages currently, and is on track to be translated into 600 languages total.
So far, I praise God for, in my opinion, giving Dallas wisdom in biblically handling criticisms of the show, admitting his mistakes, and clarifying his intentions. I also believe the Lord was with Jonathan during interviews with The View, the New York Times, etc.
We are all human, and the enemy would love to make a spectacle of Christianity by attacking God’s people who seek to share the Good News. We must sacrifice our agendas and plans daily and let the Lord take over.
Surrendering one’s life to God and giving him control sounds cliche, but what if it’s the only way forward, the only way to shine a light in the darkness, the only hope we have left?