The Last Arrow
By Don Gentry
“The Great tragedy that I have witnessed over and over again is that we keep underestimating how much God wants to do in us and through us. Too many of us have believed the lies we have been told: that we are not good enough, we are not smart enough, we are not talented enough, we are just not enough. One of the facets of God that makes Him extraordinary is His ability to do the impossible through ordinary, everyday, common people like you and me. This book has one intention: that whether you win or lose, succeed or fail, live a life of celebrity or anonymity, that when you take your last breath, you will know without reservation that you have given everything you have, everything you are, to the life you have been entrusted with.” Erwin McManus.
I could end my blog right there. As we go through our series, Dream Again, this quote sums up what we are trying to awaken in you. This quote was taken from Erwin’s book The Last Arrow. I LOVE THIS BOOK!! If you have not read it yet, you should read it during this current series. Just as this quote (and the rest of his book) reveals, the manner in which God inspires and uses our dreams/lives can be in power or obscurity, wealth or poverty, success or failure, fame or anonymity. Our role is to discover what God is doing in us and through us!
Later on in the book, Erwin discusses how many dreams are begun by a key leader, but the “dream” must be carried out by “dreamers that are content to walk in obscurity.” What matters is not which role we play, but have we discovered how God has uniquely equipped us to fulfill the purpose he has for us!
This book and our current series reminds me of one of my elders in my previous church. He literally grew up on the wrong hill in Kentucky. He lived a life of extreme bullying. For example, each day he had to cross the river rapids on a homemade raft to get to school. The kids would often sabotage his raft so that he would have to swim the rapids to safety while he was trying to cross (he had many other stories of how he lived on the hill on the other side of the river). As an old man, he was one of the most humble and wise men I have ever met. He knew the word of God better than most of my M. Div. colleagues, yet he lived in what most would call abject poverty. As I was eating dinner with him at his house he said, “Donnie, I wasn’t born to money or intelligence. And this world just needs to learn that sometimes we just need to be content with who are and serve God wholly.” That man lead more people to Christ than I can ever begin to share. He found his purpose, and it wasn’t what the world would call success.
If you want to be inspired, then read this book!! I will leave you with one other phenomenal quote from Erwin. “Before you die, live the life you were born to live!”