Deepen: A Yes That is Enough
Something is stirring. A longing. That sense of wanting to do something more. Meet a need, make a difference. If even in one life.
How that plays out is as unique as a thumbprint.
Ruth Haley Barton, in her book, Strengthen the Soul of Your Leadership, wrote:
“Leadership calls us to deepen our willingness
to become more than what we are right now so that we
can say yes to that which is ours to do.”
Beautiful is the uniqueness of your yes.
What do you long to say yes to?
God has designed us to interact with and respond to the ripples of our life—our personality colliding with our unfolding story and with him. Over time our unique passions and calling take shape. Sometimes this begins as small nudges that wrap themselves around our heart.
I remember the moment I sensed one of those nudges. I was watching a public service message on TV about an abused child, and I felt a visceral reaction. Mama Bear emerged. I wanted to rise up and fight for those without a voice, help even one get to a safe place, to freedom. I wanted that child to know courage.
What nudges have you felt?
What do they say about your story and who you are?
About what God might be inviting you into?
Looking back over my own life, I thought, “No wonder.” And yet there was truly much wonder and awe in seeing God’s grace and leading through my story from childhood to adulthood. His shaping of the passion. The words that I am still stepping into as a part of my being.
VOICE
COURAGE
But would what I had to offer be enough? And did I have the courage to say yes?
God, in his love and mercy, does not wait for us to be strong enough, educated or trained enough, brave enough, even willing enough. He, in fact, draws us through and beyond our not enough with his enough:
“He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, My lovingkindness
and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation;
for My power is being perfected, and is completed and shows itself
most effectively, in your weakness.’”
1 Corinthians 12:9 Amplified
His enough wraps around the shoulders of who I am and who I am not yet and enables me to say yes to that which is mine to do.
How about you, dear reader? If you refused to let any “not-enough” stop you, what unique, beautiful yes would you step into? What will you do next?
Go ahead, whisper it. And then shout it out and go do it, arms stretched wide!
While sitting in church a few Sunday’s back, we had a guest from World Vision talk about the need for clean water in Africa. She showed a short clip of young children walking miles and miles to get clean water and repeat this process up to 4 times per day. She challenged us to listen to the Lord, to see if running/walking a marathon or 1/2 marathon to raise money for this cause would be a call we heard. Well, I heard this call loud and clear later in the church service when the sermon was on “self doubt”. So, at 62 years old, totally out of shape, never have walked any 1/2 marathon, I signed up. All because I heard that still small voice saying, “you can do this with MY HELP’. The race is in June. I have started training every day and I have turned this all over to the Lord because it seems so far out of my reach. But, for the sake of these dying children from impure water/no water, I have an obligation to fulfill. I have to trust that the Lord will walk every step with me.
Thank you for sharing your story, Linda. You listened to His nudge and moved into His “you can do this with Me.” May these weeks of training every step with Him be a blessing in a multitude of ways–for yourself and for others.