Weekend Warriors

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

– Galatians 3:28-29

Whether it’s switching out a bathroom light fixture, installing a kitchen countertop, or building a backyard patio, completing a do-it-yourself project is one of the most satisfying aspects of home ownership. Big box stores like The Home Depot and Lowe’s cater to the millions of so-called Weekend Warriors who literally make it greener on the other side of the fence. And for those seeking guidance and inspiration for their DIY projects, it’s as close as cable television’s HGTV and The Magnolia Network or the time-tested This Old House TV series and magazine.

We can credit this to our modern Information Age. And if we choose to follow the expert advice found on social media and TV, there’s often no need to hire a master carpenter or plumber to complete our project. Ordinary Joes and Jo-Anns really can save big bucks by doing it themselves.

There’s a similar principle throughout the Bible: God chooses the weak, the unwanted … and the otherwise unqualified to get the job done. And it’s no coincidence that much of the New Testament revolves around a group of unlikely amateurs who learn their skills from a Master Craftsman (Jesus). Some were fishermen, one was a tax collector, and another (Simon the Zealot) might be considered a terrorist by today’s standards.

Their project was to change the world for Christ’s kingdom one person at a time. And since that tall assignment continues to this day, it’s no surprise that God still chooses society’s outsiders to turn the unfeasible into the achievable.

“That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties,” explains the apostle Paul. “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Indeed, today God accomplishes much via the weaknesses of a different type of Weekend Warrior. Through their contributions and work in churches, food pantries, the Salvation Army, and similar organizations, families are fed, clothed, and housed. The sick are cured with the help of health care professionals who also happen to put their faith in Jesus. And still other Christ-followers teach the illiterate to read and the undereducated to gain critical life and job skills.

When you and I are desperate to be included, we’ll do whatever it takes to fit in and avoid rejection. But God doesn’t leave us as outsiders. He wants the unwanted like us to come as we are and become like his Son. As we read in Acts 4:13:

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.