Uniquely Unqualified

Unqualified Defined

If I remember correctly, it may have been three months ago when I completed an exercise that pertained to the many biases that we have as people. The purpose of the exercise was to put all of our presuppositions to the test, and to see the result of how our presumptions can easily have a negative impact on our interaction with others. Part of the exercise required me to share three words that I believe people say, think, or assume about me when they cross my path. (For those of you that know me personally, my selection of words may surprise you, but I'll explain myself in a minute.) The three words that I chose were: uneducated, unqualified, and millennial. Without going into the details of each word, I'll just say that these words are the result of my own insecurities, past experiences, and recent experiences that may have caused slight trauma to my psyche. For the benefit of brevity, I will only deal with the word - the subject matter at hand - unqualified...

It would only make sense to have a good definition of the word unqualified. Merriam-Webster defines the word as: not fit : not having requisite qualifications. What I'm about to say may be a huge exaggeration, but when I hear the word unqualified, I hear: "You're not good enough; You'll never make it; You're not smart enough; You're beneath the person who is qualified". Once again, this is coming from a slightly traumatized mind that usually goes round for round with insecurity - I don't always win, but I don't plan on staying down for the count either! This can be completely different for you (and I hope that it is), but if you're like me and you're a little "extra" in this area, my hope is to encourage you before you read the last line of this blog. If I can come out of the cave that I usually throw myself into when this topic comes up, I guess that I could come out and deal with the fact that being unqualified simply means that I may not have enough, based on an expectation or standard. I don't know...I'm not sure if I'm ok with not having enough, especially when it pertains to something that I really want. Look, don't judge me...just let me gripe and complain for a little bit, and I'll get to the good stuff once I get out of my feelings. Is that cool? Ok...whatever...I'll just move on to the next thing...

If "unqualified" was a person, we probably wouldn't get along..."

As a matter of fact, let me gripe a little more, and I promise to move on to the next thing. I do recognize the role that I play in allowing the thought of being unqualified to sucker-punch me. I don't do so well with keeping my guard up; my stance is usually off balance; I take the hit, but I won't counter-punch. The sad thing is, I'm fully aware that being unqualified isn't the problem; my own insecurity is the problem, and it's probably one of my most formidable opponents. The word makes me cringe, and it can even be depressing at times. Ooooooh don't act like you don't have something that you're struggling with too! I'm just being honest! The truth is, the first step to recovery is recognition! So here it is! Hello everybody, my name is Aundre Washington, and I struggle with insecurity. I must admit, I have allowed my feelings of being unqualified (or inadequate) to hinder me from pursuing things that I'm passionate about. I've allowed these feelings to hinder me from being who God created me to be. I've allowed these feelings to kill my confidence, destroy my determination, and sabotage the sanctity of my mind. How do you handle this kind of struggle? I'm glad you asked! In this season of my life, I'm learning that God's word is the best place to receive the affirmation that is needed to overcome insecurity, and to uppercut inadequacy right in the chin! I'm also learning that I can move past this issue if I see myself the way that God sees me. Disclaimer: This isn't a self-help blog, or an "easy steps" guide to success; it's simply my point of view, my encounter with God after an exegesis of a biblical text that encouraged me, and a spirit that I hope to sustain.

Unqualified Defeated

As I step into the ring to fight against my nemesis - Unqualified - I'm not entering the ring with a spirit of arrogance. Surprisingly, my pound for pound fight against Unqualified has actually kept me in a place of humility. As I take a look at the instant replays of the recent rounds that I've won during this fight, I understand that God gets all of the glory for my victories! I say that because I'm becoming more aware of God's presence - as He prepares me to fight the circumstances of my life, and as He watches over me from the corner of the ring. I'm humbled because I know that it's by the grace of God that I am where I am. I'm fully aware of the reality and technicality of being unqualified. I know that I'm not qualified to be the President of the United States. I know that I'm not qualified to be a brain surgeon. I know that I don't have the credentials to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. BUT, there are things that I know that my current credentials and/or experience will afford me success in. The downside is, when I've knocked on the door of opportunity with this kind of confidence, Unqualified has usually been on the other side of the door turning the dead bolt.

"God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important." - 1 Corinthians 1:28 (NLT)

I recently listened to a sermon that was preached by Pastor Steven Furtick entitled, "Trading Truth". If I articulated his message correctly, the central proposition of the sermon was: although something may be true, if we search God's word, we can find something that is more true than the truth - and/or reality - of our situation. Pastor Steven explained it a lot better than I can, but you should go listen to the sermon! As a result, the message empowered me to re-evaluate how I see myself. The truth is, I don't have a Masters degree in Divinity. The other truth is, my gift has made room for me and has brought me before great men (Proverbs 18:16). In other words, I don't have the credentials that would afford me a certain level of clout in the field of ministry, but God has given me a unique gift that has afforded me great opportunities; opportunities that I know I'm not actually qualified for - per the societal standard. (I have to encourage myself, and remind myself of this quite often.) I often wonder if I'm smart enough to do some of the things that I've been appointed to do. The truth is, I haven't completed the appropriate training, and I don't have an adequate amount of experience - that would legitimately qualify me for what I've been appointed to do. The other truth is, I have more insight than my teachers, I'm wiser than my elders, all because I've kept God's commandments (Psalm 119: 99-100). Not that I have attained or am already perfected, but I'm doing my best to apprehend a level of discipline that will help me view myself more positively. If you and I are going to defeat insecurity, then we literally have to fight the voice of inadequacy, with the immutable voice of God that has been divinely written in the Holy scriptures.

I'm going to share words from a text message that my wife sent me a few days ago: "You have been blessed with opportunities before where you may have been under-qualified, but that didn't matter." If I'm hearing the Holy Spirit's voice behind my wife's words, then it sounds more like this, "If God blessed you before, then why wouldn't He bless you again? If God gave you success before, then why wouldn't He give you success again? God has always given you everything that you've needed to do the job that He gave you!" My wife also wrote, "But if you are going to continue to let that get you down and dictate your progression, then you have to do something about it." I won't lie, reading her words were hard pills to swallow. For the record, I suck at swallowing pills...

Unqualified Redefined

Alright! Let me try to land this plane as smoothly as possible and send you on your way...Once again, I haven't mastered the level of discipline that I would like to have, regarding my fight against insecurity; but I do believe that God has been pushing me and encouraging me to change my perspective about myself. This thought just came to mind: How I see God can determine how I see myself. I know that's a loaded thought, but please allow me to explain...We're created in the image of God, so essentially, we came from Him. If our being originates from the Almighty God who's capacity and power is limitless, then that means that what He's able to do with us has no boundaries. Human logic, human processes, and human plans are of no effect when God makes a decision. Therefore, we need to do a better job at trusting God's decision to use us to accomplish something great, no matter if human logic has deemed us as qualified or not! (I'm preaching to myself as much as I'm preaching to you!) 

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus." - Acts 4:13 (NKJV)

The account that is recorded in the forth chapter of the book of Acts, remains to be a constant reminder that God Himself will qualify a person to do great things. Because this blog is long enough - and I could probably write three chapters of content on this subject - I'll try to keep things short and sweet. (I'm not making any promises.) Two common men were in conflict with the upper echelon of the religious, educational, and political figures of Ancient Near Eastern times (or biblical times). These common men - Peter and John - were treated as belligerent insurrectionists, all because they decided to stand up for what was right. I have to say this! Peter and John DID NOT throw away their confidence about the truth of Jesus Christ! I truly believe that God honored their confidence. I also believe that if we hold on to our confidence in who God is, then God will empower us to do the imaginable. Peter and John were viewed as the most common of the common. They were treated as having no significance. In the face of those who were considered to be the best of the best, Peter and John were categorized as incompetent "nobodies". Here's the good news! All of that changed when these ordinary men opened their mouthes, only to exhibit the extraordinary power of God - the same power that qualified them to do what they were appointed to do.

The bible says that when the people saw the boldness of Peter and John (the same Peter and John that they looked down on), their perception changed. The people only saw the top of the iceberg; they only saw what was on the surface; they were too busy comparing their background to the background of two men who's experience didn't line up with their situation. The protagonists of our story were perceived as uneducated and untrained men, and yet the antagonists of our story found themselves astonished by the ability of Peter and John. From a technical standpoint, Peter and John were uneducated and untrained; but even those who were well versed in all of the technicalities of that day had to admit that there was more to these men - they realized that they had been with Jesus...

As I Close and Take My Seat

The truth is, Peter and John didn't go through the formal system that would've qualified them to be religious leaders or theologians. The other truth is, their time with Jesus had prepared them for the opportunity to blow the minds of religious leaders and theologians; Jesus equipped them to lead a revolution that would spread across the entire world. At the core of this truth, is the fact that Jesus had qualified the men that He called to bring change to the world - that's what made them unique. I believe that it's safe to say that there can be a uniqueness to being unqualified. I may sound crazy for saying this, but there may be something about being unqualified that actually qualifies you to step into something that's bigger than you. I'm not saying that God doesn't use those who are legitimately qualified in certain areas. I'm not saying that pursuing education and training is the wrong thing to do. As a matter of fact, I believe that education and training adds value to what we may be called to do. What I'm saying is that we should be more mindful of the people who have received an impartation from God; an impartation that makes them just as qualified as those who have gone through a formal system.

This word is for folks like me, folks that struggle with insecurity. This word is for folks that know that they have what it takes, but have yet to embark on the right opportunity due to what society considers as not having enough. We have to see ourselves in a more positive light. We can't allow ourselves to be held back by the perception of others. We have to know that God can get us to where we aspire to be, no matter what we may lack. Corporations may not see you, ministries may not see you, that man may not see you, that woman may not see you, but God sees you! Just know that one day, somebody is going to see you; and when they see you, they are going to marvel at what you have to offer the world. I'll leave you with this thought: To be uniquely unqualified is to be underrated and used by God in an unprecedented way. Now, go do what you know you can do!

- Dre