I’ve Got a Bad Case of I Can’t-itis
written by: Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“The Lord will fulfill his purpose fore me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”
Most of us live with the debilitating disease of I can’t-itis. If David had suffered from I can’t-itis, he would never have stood up to Goliath, and then he would never have been king, and Jesus would not have been part of the Davidic line. If Daniel had suffered from I can’t-itis, he would have stayed out of the lions’ den, and the Persian king Darius would have remained honored as more dominant than the one God of Israel. What if the apostle Paul decided he couldn’t listen to the risen Lord, who knocked him off his horse because he was too financially and professionally invested in the present leadership to take the risk of following the call of the risen Christ? The list of Bible people who didn’t fall victim to I Can’t-itis is remarkable and inspiring.
My mother, brother, and I moved to Hibbing, MN, at a low moment. My mother took a teaching job in a little town north of Hibbing. We lived away from our grandmother for the first time since my parents’ divorce. We came to Hibbing, unsure how to survive the constant changes and insecurity. The first thing we did after moving into our mobile home was go to church. The town’s Presbyterian Church took us in and immediately made us feel part of their family. I joined the youth group and started singing in the choir. The older members took an interest in my schoolwork and extracurricular activities. They took my I Can’t-itis and gave me the confidence to trust in my future.
In “How to Tell Your Inner ‘I Can’t’ to Shut Up,” Karen Nimmo reminds the reader that “We all have ‘I can’t moments.’” The way to stop the cycle of I can’t-itis is that whenever “you have a small win, acknowledge it. Write it down. In that way you steadily build the balance in your self-esteem bank-and show your inner critic who’s really in charge.” Nimmo challenges us to “break it down.” None of us are exceptional in every aspect of life. Instead, we can challenge ourselves to consider when “I can enough.” Math was always my struggle. I will never be a mathematician, but I learned “I could enough” to get through high school, college, and the rest of my life.
God has many challenges and divine calls for us throughout our lives. We will probably not need to face Goliath or be thrown into a literal lions’ den, but all of us will face enormous challenges. God places us in challenging situations to make the world better and forces us to trust in God beyond our comfort zone. In our contentment zone, we rarely need God, but when it is hard, we reach out more quickly for the Spirit’s help. Overcoming “I can’t-itis” through working the problem with prayer helps us trust and rely on God. Step up, tackle the challenge, and watch the Holy Spirit bring you to a more confident path.
