The most annoying question in the world.

You already know what the most annoying sound in the world is [if not, click here] but I’m about to tell you the most annoying question I’ve ever been asked.

Rewind [Spring '00] :

I’m a jobless college drop-out who just got an eviction letter. Bank closed my account and blocked me for 5 years because my balance was too far in the negative for too long. I lost everything... well, everything except for one thing; My gift. I was a speaker, a good speaker, which meant I had a shot. I had a future.

Fast Forward [Summer '00] :

I’m sitting at lunch with my mentor venting about how life stinks but its okay cause I’m a good speaker and God will use me in that capacity, when he asks me the most annoying question ever...

“Sam, if you woke up tomorrow and couldn’t speak anymore cause you lost your voice, what would you do?”

I honestly wanted to reach over the table and punch him as hard as I could.

'What do you mean what would I do if I couldn’t speak?'
'Can't you see? My life would be over. I’d wanna die. I would have no hope.'
'Can’t you see that's my only hope? Its all I’ve got. Its my only shot to make something out of nothing.'

What a jerk! What an annoying question! But what a defining moment to realize that my ultimate hope was not Jesus.

I suppose most Christians would say Christ is their number 1 hope, but i think secretly many have plan 1B, 1C and sometimes 1D.
We all have a ‘backup to Jesus’ plan, i.e something we can always fall back on if Jesus doesn’t pull through.

Mom and Dad. Savings account. Career. Or in my case, my gift.

My gift was my plan 1B. It was my ultimate hope. It was my last line of defense.
Yea Jesus was in the drivers seat, but truth was I had an auto-pilot ready to deploy if he failed to get me to where I needed to go.

In other words, i had an idol. No I wasn’t bowing down to a little golden statue in my underwear.

I’m talking about the other kind of idol. The subtle kind that lurks secretly in your heart. The easily justifiable kind. The ‘dream’ you can’t live without or recover from. That ‘other’ thing you put your hope in. Your backup plan.

The hard part was my idol was something God gave me. It was a good thing.

I remember thinking... God will never do that. He gave me the gift. But he will.
God is jealous and like the song says, ‘He won’t relent until he has it all’
He will demand everything in his way, EVEN the good things.

So, like Abraham I had to sacrifice my gift at the altar. I had to get to a place where I would be be ok if I didn’t have my gift or ever preached another sermon cause my ultimate hope was in Jesus.

Its one of the toughest journeys I’ve ever been on but its also the most satisfying. I’ve never been more full of joy than when I had nothing else but Jesus.

Its a journey I’m constantly on... and one God is inviting you to. Its painful but the end is unfathomable joy through Jesus.

I can’t specifically ask you the most annoying question in the world cause I don’t specifically know what your idol is. But I think if you are honest, you know what your plan 1B and 1C are.

Mine was my gift. Whats yours?