Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17
Years ago, during a prayer meeting, a minister pulled me aside and asked to pray for me. Without pause, I said, “Of course.” During this prayer, he said something that I never forgot. With tear-filled eyes, he said, “Within you are many hidden treasures, over time the Lord will start to show you all the many things He’s invested in you.” As he spoke these words, I started to imagine a sandy beach with treasures that simply needed to be discovered. Something about this imagery never left my heart and I always wondered, "What could God use me for?"
You see, at this time, I was a mother of five, helped out quite a bit at a new church plant, and had a dream of one-day writing. So although having hidden treasures and doing things the Lord had put in my heart “sounded good,” I couldn’t imagine God could use someone like me. How could a person with a blemished past, lots of daily responsibility, and who didn’t have much support couldn’t possibly be used? It would take many years before I would break free from my self-imposed shackles. Today, I want to empower you to do the same.
Here’s what I know to be true.
There are many who will read this and instantly know…there’s more the Lord is calling me to. In fact, you know that deep down inside there are giftings that you possess that you have buried yourself. Life, other people’s comments, or your own fear of failure has kept you from YOU! Like me, you know there’s a ministry, business, or invention inside of you, but with each moment of defeat, you bury it. Before long that treasure the Lord wanted to use to change generations and cause His light to shine, becomes a dusty artifact. As it’s been said, the graveyard is FULL of potential. I want to share with you three myths that cause us to miss out on God’s plan for their lives.
1.) What I have to say or offer doesn’t matter.
One of the greatest tricks of the enemy is to silence God’s people. I want to encourage you with this, EVERYTHING that God has called you to do matters. I love the verse, Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
So, if God knows the plans He has for you and they are to give you hope and a future, it would be fair to say that it matters. I want to spend a couple of moments on this phrase “hope and a future.”
Hope is defined as an “optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large.” Another way to say this is expectation plus confidence. Can I tell you that knowing God has placed gifts inside of me and that He has a plan for me gives me a sense of exuberant expectation! Here’s an example, years ago, the Lord spoke to me to write and the He would use those words to impact nations. Thus, with every blog I write and every song I create, I remember those words. Though it may feel that no one is listening, I can write in faith knowing that the right person will see the words and they will experience God’s love in His time. There’s no need to hide what God has told me because I think no one is listening or watching. Instead, I have expectation and confidence that God’s word will come to past!
My hope rest in His plans for my future!
Thus, anything He has called me to do, whether it be writing, music, baking, inventing, speaking, has to matter. Because God doesn’t create shaky flaky plans. He knows that what He’s called us to will be life-changing and put us in the perfect position to walk out the life He ordained for us from the beginning of time. It may seem insignificant now but we don’t know how what we do now will affect so many others. I can’t help but imagine if Martin Luther King Jr. would have thought his speeches were too insignificant to matter. Or if Alexander Graham Bell had not created the patent for telephones, what would life look like today? One person’s idea can cause a ripple effect. One person’s obedience to God’s voice can cause many to turn to Him.
2.) I am unqualified.
How often do we allow our former selves or lack of credentials muzzle us? We live in a time when the world defines us by the number of followers, the degree we have, and how well we can speak. Yet, God is truly unbothered by all we can store up nor our Earthly wisdom. He can bypass all of that to get you where you need to be. We see this in the story of David and Goliath. A shepherd boy would turn into the very one who could slay a giant that had defeated so many. Or, what about Peter? Peter was a fisherman and not what people would consider dignified. God used him to help start the first churches! WOW!
Sometimes, we have to step back and allow God to be God. He called you in spite of you. He called you in spite of your background. In fact, I have found that it's our personality, life experiences, and even our failures that make our testimony all the greater. Should we strive to grow in our craft? Sure! Should we seek training to perfect what God’s entrusted us with? You bet! Does it define us? NO! God is not limited or confined by our social constructs of intelligence, wisdom, or fame. In fact, He uses those who others think can’t do it to show His glory. Don’t allow those insecurities to stop you from moving forth.
I think the Apostle Paul sums it up well,
Brothers, consider the time of your calling: Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were powerful; not many were of noble birth. 27But 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
3.) I must stay in my lane.
Out of all the things, I feel like this is one of the greatest lies we have believed. I cannot count how many times I have heard people say, “Just stay in your lane.” Just be a mom, just be a wife, just be a student, just sing this, just do that thing you are good at. Although all these things are great, there may be more! What if God is calling you to be a student and a blogger, a nurse and a speaker, a father, and a pastor? Yet, we see people in the Bible who had multiple callings.
Peter- fisherman, armor-bearer, speaker, church planter
David- worshipper, shepherd, king, writer
Proverbs 31 woman- mother, wife, seamstress, businesswoman
I believe we miss out on so much of what God has called us to because we allow ourselves to be put in boxes by others. I honestly believe people mean well when they do this. Many may think, it's best you just do this one thing because that’s safe. Little do they realize; they are quenching what God may want you to do. I believe that if the Lord has placed many giftings in you, He will give you the grace and wisdom to know how to use them and when to use them. We must rely on His voice for how our story will unfold.
Today, I want to encourage you. Don’t allow God’s purpose in your life to be hidden any longer. Seek God for the timing and start to rediscover all that He has called you to be! There’s nothing more exciting than living a life fully submitted to His will, trust me!
Victory Verse- “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”
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