God needs you to show up.
"For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me."
- John 6:38 (New King James Version)
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For years, I would always answer the question "what would you do if you could do anything in the world you wanted?' with two activities:
- sing in a traveling gospel choir (soprano of course lol) and
- just wake up and walk around ministering to people all day.
In my head, I glamorized the idea of just being able to do #2 like it was #goals. Now, as it's hitting me that that's literally what God is asking me to do in this season of my life & that I finally actually have space for it, it's hitting a little different. The thought of speaking & ministering to crowds is all fun and games until you're hit with the realization that becoming a public figure will open you up to ridicule, slowly strip away your luxury of obscurity AND potentially make you a shinier target for the enemy.
As I prepare to speak in front of the largest crowd I've ever spoken in front of in a few weeks, knowing this is only the beginning, I'm thinking about these things. And I'm also thinking about our Mentor, Jesus. Wondering if He felt these same internal fears.
As I contemplate His statement in this week's scripture of not coming here to do His own will but the Father's, I wonder what His own personal will was. Like, if it was up to Him personally would He have preferred not to put Himself out there teaching and ministering publicly like He did every day? Would He have rather just stayed to Himself, constructing furniture and houses and minding His business?
We may never know on this side of heaven but one thing we know for sure is that, no matter what His "own will" was, He still chose to show up and be all the Father was calling Him to be—in the face of ridicule, persecution, cancel culture, His own sense of imposter syndrome, etc. He was brave! And the same Spirit that empowered Him while He walked this earth now empowers us so that we can be brave too.
I know the thought of putting yourself out there, showing up as the expert that you are & sharing your truth with the world is some scary ish but this is what you were sent here to do! And, if you're like me, this is what you prayed for too. So get over yourself, put your eyes on Jesus and show up. Let us see your light because, Lord knows, we need it now more than ever.
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Still hungry? Eat some more //
- John 12:27-28 → in the context of this devotional, this scripture is so fire. What we not gon do is let some uncomfortable feelings stop us from doing what we were sent here to do.
- Matthew 5:14-16 → shine your light sis; that's why He gave it to you in the first place.
- Ephesians 2:10 → the work God called you to do isn't random; it was pre-destined & intentional. And it is needed.