The Unexpected Expert

Have you ever unwittingly discovered yourself an expert?

My friend Shirley was having one of those crazy days.

She’d worked a long shift at the hospital, needed to stop at Walmart, the post office, the grocery store and the gas station before winding up the hillside to her home on a hot day.

She was bushed when she got home, knew she had to figure out dinner and a host of other issues cropped up.

She stopped to drink a glass of water and glanced through the mail. One pamphlet caught her eye:

“Are you feeling exhausted, overworked, overwhelmed and ready to be over everything?”

Yes.

“Are you looking for a time of relaxation, quiet and directed contemplation?”

Yes.

“Do you need to reconnect with the God who loves you the most?”

Yes.

That’s exactly what Shirley needed. Where? How?

It was a brochure from our local Christian retreat camp.

Of course, Shirley would go. When?

When she opened it up for details, she was startled to see her own face looking back.

She was the keynote speaker.

We’ve laughed about the irony ever since.

What is an Expert?

According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, an expert is someone “having or showing special skill or knowledge because of what you have been taught or what you have experienced.”

Apparently, the definition applies whether you feel like it or not!

Others only slightly disagree.

An Expert Even on the Internet?

I’m currently writing a biography called Mrs. Oswald Chambers–the story of Biddy Chambers’ life.

I’ve reached one of the more challenging chapters concerning the compilation of My Utmost for His Highest.

It took Biddy three years to write and I’ve been scouring the Internet and other books, trying to understand her thinking while putting the book together.

It’s taken me to other classics from that time: Streams in the Desert, The Daily Light, and Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening: Daily Readings.

As I researched and tried to frame just what this new devotional was about, I realized I needed to define a devotional.

Of course, I have my own understanding, but I like to deal with definitions.

So, I typed in “What is a Christian Devotional?”

Only one post on that front page asked and answered that question.

To my surprise, the author was me.

I laughed out loud, remembering Shirley’s surprise at being the expert on a confusing day.

If you’ve got the same question, here’s the answer!

And I followed it up the next day with “Six Keys to Writing Christian Devotionals.”

Which I had remembered writing and is in my notes.

I was wiser than I thought eighteen months ago!

Shirley, by the way, did a wonderful job at the retreat, and we all felt less overwhelmed and exhausted.

Just as I did yesterday when I stumbled on something I had already written and could use again.

Though I still don’t feel like an expert!

Tweetables

Are you an expert and don’t even know it? Click to Tweet

The shock of expert status when you sure don’t feel like it! Click to Tweet

Expert status whether you remember or not! Click to Tweet