God and Your Work {Balanced Challenge Day 4}
For Day 4 of the Balanced Challenge I am to answer the question “What has God called you to do?”
About 11 years ago, I went to a ladies’ retreat with my church. I remember the speaker asking us to write down what we believed God had called us to do. I wrote down “help women.” It was as simple as that. And I still believe that to this day.
The crazy part is I had not ever served in any kind of leadership capacity and I really didn’t know what helping women meant. Fast forward just six months from that retreat…I found myself becoming the director of our women’s missions and ministry at my church.
I’ve had numerous opportunities over the years to help women in many different ways. I encouraged some as they tried to build women’s missions groups and ministry groups in their churches. I also began to speak on the topics of time management and organization.
The writing part is what has been truly amazing to me. I remember doing well on papers in high school and college. I even remember taking a correspondence course to learn how to write children’s books. But no one ever encouraged me to follow writing as a career path.
I mean, seriously, who would have thought 30 years ago that the Internet would come along as well as numerous opportunities to write through blogging and magazine articles. I don’t know why God didn’t open my eyes to a writing career when I was younger. Maybe one day I’ll understand.
I do know that I’ve had the desire to write for magazines for a long time. In 2008, I was granted the opportunity to write my first magazine article. In fact, I was actually asked to write an article without the editor ever seeing an example of my writing. When I received a writing offer from this same magazine the next year, I felt God was confirming that I should use my writing to glorify Him and to serve women.
Another reason I feel writing is a part of my calling is that I would continue my blog even if no one was reading it or responding to it. I’ve thought many times about giving it up, but I just can’t let it go. I don’t know what I would do if I were not writing.
So today I am trying to encourage and help women discover how to be organized by pursuing peace, not perfection. I am so amazed as I’ve thought back over my life and have put the puzzle pieces together of what God has been doing to bring me to this point.
God has brought this verse to mind over the years when I’ve felt discouraged or wanted to give up:
This verse reminds me that I will reap a harvest of blessing if I don’t give up even when it feels like I’m not making a difference in anyone’s lives.
I’d like to hear what God is doing in your life. Leave a comment below and share what God has called you to do.
Linked up with Tricia Goyer’s Balanced Challenge
I like how simple that was “helping women”. It can be so simple with God and end up being so much. Little becomes much when we place it in the masters hands. This line right here resonates with me as well: “to encourage and help women discover how to be organized by pursuing peace, not perfection”. It took me some years {plus struggles and tears} to reach this point, and I’m so glad that your ministry involves this key point. I’m excited about how God is using you!
Thanks for stopping by, Elizabeth! I agree that when we offer what little we have, God can use it in ways we’d never expect. If you’d have told me when I was 16 this is what I would be doing today, I would never have believed it. Thanks for the encouraging words.