The Lord is calling. What’s your answer?

About four years ago, while Hunter and I were living in Arkansas, a friend of mine took me to my favorite lunch spot in town. As we sat down with our tomato soup and grilled sandwiches (I love a good sammie…), she asked me what was next for us. We were coming to a point in our lives that required many big decisions about our careers, moving to a new place and God-sized dreams. 

I mentioned to her Hunter applied to several places around the country, and I was going to apply to a few places in central Ohio, specifically a public relations job I was ecstatic about. At that point in time, I had no idea in just a mere few weeks that job would be mine. 

We made the move to central Ohio and began our jobs, Hunter as the sole minister of a small suburban church, mine at a large university. To say I was intimidated would be a major understatement. I walked through my building doors and wandered my way around the office introducing myself to the kindest colleagues. 

The first person I met had just returned from doing refugee support work in Serbia. My jaw practically hit the floor, and I immediately became paranoid I wasn’t right for this job. I mean, how could I ever measure up to refugee work in eastern Europe?   

Have you ever stood in a room filled with highly successful people in your eyes and wondered, “Why am I in this room, too? Who am I to be compared with these people?” That was me every day the first year of working this job. Even now, four year later, sometimes I’m still caught up in the imposter syndrome of, “I’m not made for this, I’m not good enough for this, I can’t do this.”

Thankfully, God doesn’t require extraordinary people to do his extraordinary work. God’s only requirement? A simple, “yes, Lord.”

The prophet Amos can relate to us, I think. Dust off the book of Amos and turn to chapter 7 verse 14. 

Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I was no prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. But the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ 

Amos wasn’t like the average prophet, he was just a shepherd and sycamore fig dresser. He didn’t have the experience or the knowledge, he just said, “yes, Lord.”

Remember the disciples? They were tax collectors, fishermen, thieves, teenagers. They were no one. But when the Savior called, they said, “yes, Lord.” 

Remember King David? A lowly shepherd boy who never would have been considered king unless the Lord specifically called for him. And the Lord called for him. And David said, “yes, Lord.”

I’m as average as they come, friend. I love autumn, college football and dogs. I hate pumping gas for my car, snow after February and long lines at the Target checkout. I’m not strong. I’m not fast. I’m not graceful. I’m not worthy. I’m average.

But my God is not average. He is the savior of the world, the life giver and mercy extender. And when God calls, he equips. All he needs from the unqualified, and the average Joe like me and you, is a yes. He’ll take care of the rest.

The Lord is calling, friends. What’s your answer?