"Good for nothing"

How many times do we look at someone through our eyes and wonder if they can ever amount to anything. We've got a vision, a thought, an expectation, or whatever that allows us to only see this person in one way. Or, maybe we've been the one being viewed and heard the words "good for nothing" spoken in our direction.

I came across this story on sermons.com and it reminded me that even when the world sees us as a failure, God has given us gifts that will make us a sure success if we will but use them. Some will make us successful by the standards of this world but all of them, whether appreciated by those around us or not, will help us to be a part of the great success of God's kingdom on earth.

Some can cut fish and others can swing a bat...both can lead to success...

Switching Tracks

Sometimes the best thing we can do is to move on to another field. Paul Harvey tells the story of Joe, who was born into a family of Sicilian immigrants, a family who had a 300-year history as fishermen. Joe's dad was a fisherman. His brothers were fishermen. But Joe was made sick by the smell of raw fish and the motion of a rocking boat. In a family where the only acceptable way to earn a living was by fishing, Joe was a failure. His dad used to refer to his son as "good for nothing." Joe believed his dad. He believed that his attempts at other types of work were an admission of failure, but he just couldn't stand the smell of the fishing business. One thing that Joe could do was to play baseball. Giving up a field where he could not succeed, Joe DiMaggio moved to another field and became one of the great successes of baseball.

David G. Rogne, Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost