Not Qualified to Minister

Mark 6

Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. ² When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.
“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? ³ Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.⁴ Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” ⁵ He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. ⁶ He was amazed at their lack of faith.

I've been a Christian for twenty years but I often struggle with feelings of unworthiness. In my heart, I believe I've been called to minister to women.  However, I have been in the 'preparation mode' for most of my Christian walk. When should I begin reaching out and touching lives on behalf of Christ?  Have I studied the bible enough?  Have I conquered enough of the sin in my life or do I wait until I am completely sinless?  Is that even possible?  
Then, I read this passage and I see that Jesus was not considered to be qualified by those who knew him best. They thought he was an ordinary carpenter. He was a son and a brother. It's likely that some of them had watched him grow up. To them, he was nothing special and they questioned his right to minister. In fact, they were offended at the very notion of him being worthy of ministry. Their lack of faith limited Jesus' ability to perform miracles. They effectively managed to restrict his ministry. 

Jesus did not let his ego get in the way of the important job he had to do. He wasn't upset that they didn't give him the respect he was due. Rather, he was troubled that he couldn't minister to more people.  

Today, as I consider moving forward into the place that I strongly feel God has called me, I am thankful for this scripture. I might be ordinary and I am certainly not without sin, but that doesn't mean I am not qualified. I now see that I have been looking at myself through the eyes of others and they might not think I'm anything special. I can't let that limit my ability to minister. I need to keep my focus on the important task at hand and the lives that need to be touched.

If you are reading this and you feel you've been stuck in 'prep mode' for a long time, I encourage you to stop holding back. Don't allow the opinions of others to prevent you for completing your race.