Jeremiah 20:12 “for to you I have committed my cause.”
It was one of my most embarrassing moments in front of an audience. I was speaking to a group of college students at a local university. It was my first time speaking there, and suddenly anxiety got the best of me. My nervousness manifested itself in a dry mouth. A very dry mouth. In fact, my mouth became so dry that my upper lip stuck to my front teeth! Do you know how hard it is to speak when your lip is attached to your tooth? Not a pretty sight. Thankfully, someone finally brought me a bottle of water. And I continued my talk.
I like to tell that story to my Public Speaking students to illustrate how there is life on the other side of public speaking mishaps. I ask them what’s the worst thing that could happen if you mess up? Things could always be worse.
For example, what if we were in Jeremiah’s situation? If ever anyone was between a rock and a hard place it was Jeremiah. He felt bitter because God had called him to do a job that brought him shame, ridicule and no observable success. The people turned on him when he warned them about the coming disaster God was sending. On the other hand, the “fire of God was in his bones” and he couldn’t stop preaching. A combination of the irreversible impending doom, the betrayal of friends, the relentless pursuit of his enemies and the negative nature of his message, pushed him to despondency. He curses the day he was born. It doesn’t seem like life could have gotten any worse for this prophet of God.
But actually it could have been worse. He could have turned away from God. He could have thrown his lot in with the rebels and denied his call. He could have refused to “commit his cause” to the Lord. But he didn’t. He opted for life on the other side of his suffering.
Whether our pain comes in the form of social embarrassment or in a deluge of rejection, always remember it could be worse. As long as you remain faithful to God, and keep pressing ahead, you will land in a better place. A place that is light years away from the worst thing that could happen.