An addenum to feeling Utterly Useless

Ever had a time when alls you needed was a slap in the face to wake you up to reality?? haha, well, I think I just had mine. I've been not too 'there' lately, maybe just fatigued from long days at work I feel myself overwhelmed and constantly asking God how in the world can I make a lasting difference when the problems seem bigger than any solution.

...So I'm sitting in a pile of two week's worth of mail, reading a quarterly update from International Justice Mission and it opened with a question:

"Would you ever take a job with a 1% success rate?"

It went on to tell of the struggles in bringing justice to sex offenders in Guatemala:

"The government statistics regarding sexual abuse crimes reveal that approximately 1% of all sexual abuse complaints filed in Guatemala result in a guilty verdict."

Imagine that! Imagine that in all your work and effort to bring justice and protection to the defenseless, 99% of the time you won't win! Period.

"The case weighed heavily on our staff, and during one of our office devotionals in Guatemala, we re-visited the statistics about the success of conviction in sex abuse cases. I first asked my colleagues whether they would have accepted a job where the odds of success were 1%, and second, whether they would be willing to continue doing a job facing those odds. "

Would you? Would that statistic keep you from doing what you were called to do which is to

Learn to do right!
Seek justice,
Encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
Plead the case of the widow.
(Isaiah 1:17 NIV)

"When we consider the odds that we face in the work of justice, we sometimes feel overwhelmed and understaffed for this task. However, Scripture tells us that it is good to feel weak, because His grace is sufficient and His power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). When we call on the God of justice, the 1% chance of success becomes a 100% chance of triumph"

And that's our reality guys: THE God who because of him do all things exist:

All things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:16-17 NIV)

If that's the case, how come I'm so overwhelmed with feeling useless? hmm, I'm taking on a job all on my own when God, it's all yours, thanks for allowing me to join you in your work...