Sun, 3 February 2019
What an inspiration it is, when someone exceeds expectations!
I want to tell you the story of a little girl who did just that—repeatedly.
She was the 20th of 22 children in her family. She was born prematurely. Doctors did not expect her to survive. But she did. She exceeded expectations.
While still a young child, she contracted polio, causing her left leg to become paralyzed. Some people did not expect her to walk again. But she did learn to walk again with the aid of a metal brace. Again, she exceeded expectations.
When she was nine-years-old, they removed the leg brace and she began walking without it. When she was 13, she decided to begin running. She entered her first race and came in last. For the next three years, she came in dead last in every race she entered. But she kept on running, and one day she won. She exceeded expectations.
Eventually, the little girl who was not supposed to live, who was not supposed to be able to walk, who was not supposed to be able to run and win races, would bring home three gold medals and three world records in Rome's 1960 Olympic games.
That little girl who exceeded so many expectations was Wilma Rudolf. She said, “My doctor told me I would never walk again. My mother told me I would. I believed my mother.” Her mother was a woman of faith who instilled that faith in Wilma.
We serve a God who glories in exceeding expectations. Often our weaknesses are a platform on which His power is displayed.
The story of Gideon in the Bible is a clear example of how God shows Himself strong through our weaknesses. This Sunday we will see how God can exceed all our expectations as we yield our lives to Him.
Carousel: The Broken Heroes of Judges “Exceed Expectations” Judges 6
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