I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be called by God. I’m learning in a very real way that God’s calling isn’t always glamorous or easy. But to be commissioned by God, the Creator of the heavens and earth is so much bigger than ourselves, so of course, much will be required of us. In this blog post, I hope to share more on this and my prayer is that you will walk away feeling empowered and inspired to go after your God-given calling.

When God Calls Us, There Must Be Willingness

I believe a “yes” is the first response God is looking for when He calls us. Are we willing? Are we available? Many of us delay our yes, not because we don’t want to do what God has called us to do, but rather because we feel inadequate to do what the Lord has called us to do. But here’s the truth…if you’re feeling inadequate or not enough, you probably are. However, we don’t have to be adequate or enough to pursue God’s calling on our lives. Look at scripture. We see countless stories of God using people who don’t have it all together, people who didn’t have all their i’s dotted and t’s crossed; to name a few: Noah, David, Abraham, Peter, and Paul (plus many many more!) If you’re holding back because you feel broken, let me remind you that God would rather you give your broken “yes” than you give nothing at all. To be honest, oftentimes, my life feels like a series of broken yes’s to God:

“Yes, God, I’ll still worship even when I’m filled with doubts.”

“Yes, God, I’ll keep praying and reading Your word even when it’s hard.”

“Yes, God, I’ll keep giving even when I don’t have much to give.”

“Yes, God, I’ll keep moving towards the overlooked even when I feel overlooked myself.”

“Yes, God, I’ll still do it.” or “Yes, God, I’ll still go.”

Our inadequacies and “not enoughness” are precisely what makes us the best candidate for God to use us because, through us, His adequacy and enoughness can be glorified, and isn’t that what it’s all about, friends? God being glorified! Paul said it this way in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through me.” ****Give Him your “yes”, friend, His grace will carry you through.

When God Calls Us, There Will Be Preparation

We love the quote “God doesn’t call the equipped. He equips the called,” but we don’t like to talk much about the “equipping” **process. We don’t talk about it because the process isn’t usually pretty, and tends to come in a way we’d least expect it, like through a challenging season. The preparation is less like a manual and more like God allowing us to walk through hard seasons so we can come out on the other side refined. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying God is delighting in allowing pain in our lives or that something terrible must happen for God to prepare us. I am just reminding you that no season is ever wasted with the Lord and even our darkest seasons, the Lord can use for our good. My prayer is for us to come to a place where we fully surrender to the Lord and His plans for us, trusting that every closed door, every setback, every betrayal, every hurt, or whatever difficult situation we find ourselves in can be turned around for something beautiful in the end.

Look at Joseph. Joseph was sold into slavery by his own family and thrown into prison due to a false accusation, but in the end, Joseph found himself a ruler of Egypt. The enemy had plans to destroy Joseph, but God had plans to direct Joseph into a calling he probably would’ve never thought He’d walk in. Even Joseph said it in Genesis 50:20 when he was speaking to his brothers (the ones who betrayed him by selling him into slavery): “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” (Emphasis Added). I don’t know about you, but reading that fills me with so much joy. Surrender to Him, friends, knowing that all things will work together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

When God Calls Us, There Will Be Sacrifice

Now, to the part, I struggle with the most…sacrifice. The calling of God will include sacrifice. Jesus said in Matthew 16:24, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” “Giving up your own way” and “taking up your cross,” are references to sacrifice and pain. Sometimes, pursuing God’s calling looks more like loneliness, letting go of certain friendships and habits, or taking the focus off us and off building an image, influence, or platform for ourselves. I wrote this in my notes app recently: There’s a difference between a platform and the Kingdom of God, and sometimes, if we are not careful, we can end up a building platform in the name of building the kingdom of God. It’s easy, friends, very easy to switch the narrative and start making this all about ourselves. In the desire for support, we make people’s approval and opinions our idols, or when we use social media to spread the gospel, but hold more weight on the number of likes and shares, instead of the number of people who were encouraged by our posts. To follow God’s calling, there must be a commitment to die daily to ourselves. It’s just like John the Baptist said in John 3:30, “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” We won’t be perfect at this. We are human and God knows that. He will meet us in our shortcomings, but may we never forget (and always come back to) who this is all about: Jesus.

Like I shared earlier, the calling of God isn’t glamorous or easy but, friends, it is and will be worth it. Our broken yes’s are worth it. The refining seasons are worth it. The sacrifices are worth it. Even if we don’t see it now, we will see it then, when He says, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Thank you so much for reading, friends! You are called. You are chosen. You were made for such a time as this. Now, let’s do this, all for His glory and the advancement of His kingdom!

Much love,

Your sister and friend,

Kimoya.

Kimoya Walker is a creative, dreamer, and encourager living right outside Atlanta, Georgia. She is currently pursuing her God-given dream as a photographer and multi-passionate creative. She loves serving in her local church in different capacities, but mostly in the creative and social media space. She has a passion for encouraging others in a real and honest way and championing others in their God-given callings and dreams. Some of her all-time favorite things are K-dramas, deep convos, making new friends, coffee shops, and chapsticks.