Call

Call is that deep sense of knowing that God is beckoning you in a way of being, a kind of work, and a new way of making a difference in the world.

When we talk about calling, we affirm the idea that there are things in our lives and work that speak into the deep places of our souls. These calls are the places where our gifts take root and blossom within the soil of deep purpose. For some, calling is perennial, blooming over and over again in the springs of our lives. For others, calls are more akin to annuals or biannuals and are replanted over different seasons.

We often shortchange ourselves, and others, when we talk about calling as being only for those serving in ministry. While that is the lens and the context for many of our writers, God calls everyone: those who lead companies, communities, nonprofits, families, and churches. Calls, too, are about both the things that earn us money and the things that bring us joy — and they aren't always the same thing.

Cultivating our calls is rarely straightforward or simple. Even when we are filled with assurance, we may hit bumps along the way. The devotions and prayers that follow remind us we aren't alone when we find ourselves a little unsure or disheartened. Women called to lead, whether in homes, churches, business, or politics, take this path together.

We are not alone, for the land has been tilled, and God meets us along the way, watering the seeds planted deep in our souls. God is with us, pursuing us and encouraging us during every season.

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Don't be intimidated by successful makers; be inspired by them.

— Jen Hatmaker

Sometimes we hear the still small voice inside calling us to create, and we shush it, ignore it, or intentionally push it away. The voice whispers to us to make a piece of art, bring a vision to reality, write the story that's longing to get out, or try something new in our work.

With the still, small voice, God is trying to do a new thing in and through us, but we push it away thinking, This has already been done before or Someone else could do this so much better than I could.

We may consider ourselves too amateur, too inexperienced, too uneducated, or too poorly connected to bring our creations into the world. We may wonder why anyone would look at, use, or be inspired by things coming out of our imaginations. We may be afraid that our attempts will fail, that we will be laughed at or ignored, that someone else could have done it better.

We are each created in the image of a creative God, a God with such wild imagination that our lives are full of sunsets and narwhals and brussels sprouts and twenty-eight thousand species of orchids and mountains and rivers and ornery house cats. Part of growing in God's likeness is letting that still, small voice out of its cage and doing its bidding. Part of our role as human beings, made in God's image, is to create, whether we are amateurs or professionals, first-time creators or polished experts. Instead of looking around and saying, "No, I'm not really good enough to create this," we offer our unique gifts to God and the world around us. Instead of being intimidated by those who have found worldly success in whatever realm we are called to enter, God beckons us to let our imaginations lead where they may and bring our creations to life.

Do not be intimidated by those who have come before you or those who will come after you, dear sister. Don't let fear stop you. Don't sell yourself short because you're not a "professional" or an "expert." Take courage from the God who created you and me and all we can see — everything useful or beautiful or strange — and let that voice speak until your extraordinary creations have been born. You never know who you will inspire with your courage, whose voice will speak louder because of yours.

Prayer: O God, help me never silence my own inner voice because I am afraid or intimidated by others. Give me the courage to create whatever you have put into my heart, for your glory. Amen.

Rev. Elizabeth Ingram Schindler

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"Ah, Lord God," I said, "I don't know how to speak because I'm only a child." The Lord responded,

"Don't say, 'I'm only a child.' Where I send you, you must go; what I tell you, you must say.

Don't be afraid of them, because I'm with you to rescue you," declares the Lord.

— Jeremiah 1:6-8

Following God's call is never an easy thing. Following God with our whole lives often means being uncomfortable or challenged. In the midst of challenges, it can be easy to feel unprepared and unequipped to go where God is sending us and to do what God is asking of us. Jeremiah felt this when God called him to be a prophet. He immediately responded by saying that he was too young and not a good speaker.

I wish I could say that my response to God's call to be a pastor was...