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Faith & Calling

If God waited until we felt ready, confident, and fully equipped before calling us, very few of us would ever take the first step.

When I first felt God calling me, I thought He was calling me to preach. That was the word I kept hearing—preach. It startled me. It didn’t fit neatly into the life I thought I had, and honestly, it scared me. I told no one. Not even my husband.

Then an evangelist came to our church and shared her testimony about how God had called her. As she spoke, it felt as if every word was directed straight at me. I sat there, listening, my heart pounding, knowing God was speaking—but still unsTwo nights later, as we drove back to hear the speaker again, my husband said something that stopped me cold. “If God calls you to be a preacher,” he said, “I’ll support you in every way I can.”

I was shocked. I hadn’t shared a single word with him about what I thought God was saying to me. Yet somehow, God had already gone ahead of the conversation.

That moment gave me the courage to talk to my pastor—who also happens to be my biological brother. He listened carefully, prayed with me, and helped me apply to our denomination’s district for a local preacher’s license. It was granted, and I began taking the courses they offered.

Soon after, I was invited to speak at several women’s events. I stood behind podiums. I shared Scripture. I spoke from the heart. And yet, something inside me still hesitated.

I didn’t see myself as a pastor of a church.

Throughout Scripture, God repeatedly chooses unlikely people. Moses stuttered. Jeremiah thought he was too young. Gideon asked for multiple signs. Peter spoke before thinking. None of them felt ready. God didn’t fix that first. He simply said, Follow Me.

Calling doesn’t always mean the destination is clear. Sometimes it means stepping forward without understanding the full picture. Sometimes it means discovering that the calling looks different than you assumed.

I eventually realized that God was using my voice, my words, and my willingness—not to stand in a pulpit every Sunday, but to teach, to encourage, to write, and to speak life into others in quieter ways. The preparation I thought was leading one direction was actually shaping me for another.

If you feel unqualified, you’re not alone. If you don’t feel polished or confident, you’re in good company. God rarely waits for us to feel ready before nudging us forward.

He calls us as we are—and then He walks with us as we grow.

And sometimes, the very thing that makes you feel unqualified is the place where God’s strength shows up most clearly.

A Closing Prayer

Lord,
Thank You for calling us long before we feel ready. Thank You for seeing purpose where we see uncertainty and using voices that feel ordinary to carry Your truth. Help us trust You when the calling doesn’t look the way we imagined. Teach us to be obedient even when the path is unclear and to believe that You can preach the Gospel through whispered words, written pages, and faithful hearts. When we feel unqualified, remind us that You are more than enough.
Amen.

Scripture

“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
— 1 Corinthians 1:27

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Click here to go to the next post in The Faith & Calling Series: When Writing is Hard—Leaning on Faith. To be posted Feb. 2, 2026.

Each post builds on the one before it, forming a picture of calling that is lived out over time—through learning, patience, community, redirection, and grace. I will post a new post each week following the outline above, until the series is complete.

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