Maybe I’m only speaking for me, but I have shortchanged myself on many growth/ skill building opportunities. I say things like ohh, I don’t like commitments, so I will do the bare minimum. Or I don’t want to let anyone down. Or even, it’s not that important anyway so why waste my time, my time is to “valuable”. But in reality, I was not confident enough that I could get the job done. I covered up my fear with “valid” excuses but ultimately couldn’t get with the fact I had no confidence in my skill set or what I was called to do. Raise your hand if you’ve been there…
The craziest thing about it is other people can see your worth most of the time faster than you can. They believe in you, wholeheartedly, thats why they offer you the position. I heard on a podcast that you shouldn’t disrespect someone because they saw your value. That’s like the owner of a sports team signing a player to a team with a contract of $10M. Thousands of people come to watch the player sign the contract, and he or she never shows up. Hands would have been thrown but more importantly, an opportunity wasted.
One prayer that I like to say is that God will help me grow in my faith to help build his people, wherever I’m placed. Also, that I know my skills that I have learned this far means something. This keeps me humble. Shows me that what I’m doing is far bigger than me, so I gotta keep working. You have to be determined to find and walk in your “it”, the thing that is used to transform people. Take the time to explore what he wants you to do with what you have in this season and how you can use your gifts to make the most impact. Take inventory of what you have and be open to all the opportunities he wants to give you. As I grow, I refuse to let fear be an option as to why I didn’t do something.
Fear can be very convincing. It can be difficult to see how your different paths and opportunities will amount to anything that deals with your future. It almost feels like a guessing game. Has what I’ve done contributed to anything substantial? For me, I wondered, while my friends were getting internships in engineering firms, I was teaching kindergartners how to read… How the heck does that even correlate? I always wondered and sometimes still wonder, will I ever connect the dots?
As I was journaling one day, I felt an assurance in my spirit that this will all start making sense. How I can use my experiences to build these gifts. The clarity comes as I continue to take action with what I have. I wrote that down, and I just felt so thankful and assured in my decisions. So I tell you to, rest assured. All that you have done and currently doing will make sense and has value. Your position, wherever God has called you matters. You are getting the job done, with minimal skills to high expertise. Have confidence friend, I truly believe we will see the goodness of Jesus, I am believing it for both of us.
What is an opportunity you have run from in the past due to fear? How can you change your perspective of your current situation so you feel more like a key player wherever you are?
