Ability, availability

The capacity to be a faithful witness in sharing the gospel is less a matter of our ability and more about our availability. That's what missionary Kenneth Hopson reminded the Convention of Cumberland Presbyterian Women yesterday when he addressed the group as a part of a missionary panel. Often we excuse ourselves from sharing faith with others on the basis that we don't have that 'gift,' or our ability to address spiritual concerns comprehensively is limited. We feel inadequate for the task, under-prepared.

But the point Kenneth made is that if we make ourselves available for God to use, God will supply the necessary ability. Still, the decision to be available, to surrender to the leading of God's Spirit, to open ourselves in vulnerability to the risks associated with witness, that's up to us.