Facing Your Giants

When You Know You Don’t Belong

By Mike Glenn

One day when I was walking across the campus of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, I ran into one of my professors and we began to talk. He wanted to know more about where I grew up, where I’d gone to school and what I saw in my future. Then he said, “Mike, you’re quite the unique personality on our campus.”

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

“Is that a PhD way of calling me an eight ball?”

“I guess so,” he said, but then got very serious. “Please don’t lose that,” he said. “That’s your gift.”

Gift? I had never seen my personality as a gift. I had always seen it as something of a liability. Something that held me back. I didn’t fit in. I didn’t see things the way most people saw them. I was just different. 

How so? Let me give you an example. Do you remember the story of the Sanhedrin asking Jesus about a woman who had married seven brothers and each of them died? When this story was read in my New Testament class, I started laughing. The professor wanted to know what I was laughing at so I answered, “Let me get this straight. Seven men are dead. My question is why isn’t this woman under investigation?”

Let’s just say my insight wasn’t appreciated. I maintain, however, I raised a good point. The Sanhedrin wanted to know which brother would be her husband in heaven. My point was I’m not sure this woman is going to heaven at all. 

 I didn’t like Christian worship music. Still don’t. I rather listen to the blues or Southern rock. When I study the craft of preaching, I don’t watch other preachers. I watch stand up comedians. They do what a good preacher wants to do – they just do it better. (And yes, there are some clean ones). They walk onto a stage in a room full of strangers, establish a relationship and talk about things everyone has experienced and understands. Most preachers can’t do that. 

Anyway, the hardest part of my Christian journey is learning to accept the way Jesus made me. In my life, the worst mistakes I ever made in my ministry was when I was trying to be someone or something I’m not. Not only was I not good at being someone I’m not, I failed when I thought being someone else was the key to success. Too many times, I ended up like David when Saul offered his armor to fight Goliath. David couldn’t win in Saul’s armor. I couldn’t win trying to be someone else.

You can’t either. 

If you follow Christ for long, you’ll find out you have many conversions and each the next one happens at a deeper level than the one before it. Yes, we are saved forever, but we are also saved day by day. For me, learning Christ designed me to be me and Christ didn’t expect me to be anybody else was one of the most freeing moments in my life. This is why I am so excited to be doing what I’m doing now. 

There’s nothing more exciting than walking with a pastor as they begin to understand the way God created them and with that, the mission and ministry for which they are called. It’s the same way with churches. Each church is unique. Each church has its own personality and God placed His kingdom vision when He called that church into being. 

I’ve never really understood how the very thing that once limited my ministry could be the door that now opens my ministry to other pastors and churches. I shouldn’t be surprised. That seems to be the way God works. 

God wanted me to be me and only me. He wants you to be you and only you. God never repeats Himself in creation. No two snowflakes are alike. No two people are alike either. We shouldn’t be surprised that He only made one of each of us. Be you. It’s one of the most Godly things you can do.