Throughout salvation history, God calls individuals who see themselves as terribly unqualified for the tasks He has in store for them. Yet, He calls them to holiness in service nonetheless. These men and women became instruments of God’s peace, working for the salvation of souls and working to lead God’s people along a path to true worship.
St. John Henry Newman was a firm believer in Divine Providence. He saw the merit of his own earthly life wrapped up in the mission he knew God had for him. Newman writes:
God has created me to do him some definite service; he has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission – I may not know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next.
All of us have such a mission, and Newman points out that we might not learn what it is in this life. But we are called to live faithfully to Christ regardless of the mysteries of faith. The mystery is oftentimes integral to faith.
We are called to live our lives in accordance with virtue. This means we’re going to have to overcome anxieties and self-doubts about ourselves and “step up to the plate.” There are situations throughout our lives when our consciences will spur us on to do something more than we might be comfortable with. We will face our weaknesses and our fears and, if we’re willing to place our trust in God, we will receive His guidance and protection.
Emmet, the protagonist of The LEGO Movie, though a secular take on overcoming self-doubt, reflects this idea of a broken self-perception. In a comical clip from the film, when his contemporaries are introduced to him and learn that he is the one they are to put their hopes in, Emmet delivers the following speech:
I may not be a Master Builder. I may not have a lot of experience fighting or leading or coming up with plans or having ideas in general. In fact, I’m not all that smart. And I’m not what you’d call a creative type. Plus, generally unskilled; also scared and cowardly. I know what you’re thinking: ‘He is the least qualified person in the world to lead us.’ And you are right!
It’s funny because it completely shatters his audience’s expectations. Here is what was supposed to be an inspiring speech. And it has the effect of robbing them of their confidence in Emmet. But it also shows us something else: Emmet’s brokenness and self-doubts. He is aware he is far from what would be considered the best choice.
Yes, he has for much of his life played along with the narrative he gets spoon-fed by Lord Business’s administration. But he is also conscious of his own faults and failures. He doesn’t feel worthy per se of being The Special, the revered role that has suddenly been thrust upon him.
Throughout the movie, given various revelations and trials regarding his role as The Special, Emmet’s perception of his own self-worth fluctuates. As it turns out, the so-called prophecy of The Special was made up – utterly fictitious. It has instilled a false sense of hope and self-image in Emmet’s mind. But after all that he has gone through, he must discover that, regardless of the authenticity of the prophecy, he has been called to something great. He has been called to be a leader and to be a force for the common good.
The significance of Emmet in his supposed smallness and inefficiency echoes several key biblical stories.
Moses, for instance, in the early chapters of Exodus, is given a task from God. It is a tremendous mission and burden. As God informs Moses as to how he should approach Pharaoh about letting the Israelites leave Egypt, Moses starts in with a flood of excuses concerning his lack of qualifications for the job. He says that he is unworthy to go to Pharaoh, that he does not speak eloquently, and that his audience won’t listen to him. All these apparent obstacles are nothing to stand in the way of God’s Will. We all know the story. Moses becomes God’s servant, leading the Israelites out of Egypt.
Likewise, saints like Peter and Paul in the New Testament confess their brokenness and inadequacy to Jesus and to the early Christians. Peter tells Jesus that he is a sinful man (Luke 5:8), and Paul relates to his readers that he can merely boast about the things that display his own weakness (2 Corinthians 11:30). Like God’s servants in the Scriptures, or like Emmet in The LEGO Movie, we all come to terms with our shortcomings.
God wants to lift us out of our self-doubt. We ought to have the confidence and courage of St. John Henry Newman, acknowledging that God calls us with a specific purpose and task in mind. As Emmet and Moses and the Apostles show us, it is through our weaknesses that God can work wonders.
*Dedicated to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
John Tuttle
John Tuttle is a Catholic journalist, blogger, and photographer. He has written for Prehistoric Times, Culture Wars Magazine, Those Catholic Men, Catholic Insight, Inside Over, Ancient Origins, Love They Nerd, We Got This Covered, Cultured Vultures, and elsewhere. He can be reached at jptuttleb9@gmail.com.