I remember being in high school, when my youth pastor at the time came up to me and asked me to preach to the students a night that he was going to be away. I was shocked that he would choose me to fill in. Thoughts like, I’m not the best speaker, I didn’t even regularly attend Wednesday night services, and I was only in high school went through my brain. Despite this, I felt a calling to do this and wanted to make him proud. Because of this, I studied and prepared hard before going in front of my classmates and youth family that night. As I was about to step up to the front, I felt sick with anxiety. However, once I started talking, I felt a peace flow over me, and a confidence start to dwell within me.
After the service, I was amazed at the positive feedback I received from my peers and the adults in the room. I later realized that my youth pastor saw the raw God-given potential in me, even if I didn’t notice it at the time. After that night, I went on to get a Master’s in Theology and have been the Next Generation Pastor at Laguardo Baptist for almost 3 years. Despite this, I often times still find myself feeling inadequate to do the job God has called me to. I’m reminded of all the times I have failed in the past; I look around and see others more gifted, and I question if everything I’m doing is really making a difference. However, in these moments, I remember the story of Moses.
Moses was up in age and had a hard time speaking. One day, God called him to be the next leader of the Israelites. When God told Moses this, he refused. He looked at all the things he could not do well and thought God was making a huge mistake by choosing him over someone else. However, God insisted that Moses be this leader and that he would equip him along the way. Moses finally trusted in what God could see that he could not. Moses became one of the greatest leaders in history and lead the Israelites out of slavery in the land of Egypt and toward the Promised Land.
What this reminds me of is that we all have raw God-given potential inside us to do something great for the Kingdom of God. The devil will always remind us of our past failures and our shortcomings because he doesn’t want us to see that potential God has embedded within us. In these moments of doubt, we need to look to God for direction on what He wants us to do and trust that He will equip us along the way. God knows us better than we know ourselves and can see the potential He has gifted within us that we can be blinded from by the world. Sometimes, God uses those around us to show us this potential and push us out of our comfort zones to reach it. Just like my youth pastor did to me when I was in high school, if someone is pushing you to lead or do something that you feel inadequate to do, stop and think about the fact that may be seeing the God-given potential in you that you haven’t seen yet. Trust that God knows the greatness that lies within you and may be using those around you to bring it out and step out in faith. When you do this, you’ll be amazed at how God will use you and equip you along the way.