Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Philippians 2:6-7
I was doing an interview a few weeks ago, and the interviewer asked me about my journey from the business world into ministry. It is something I have talked about, but when I sat and listened to the playback of the interview, it hit me in a totally new way.
Kind of like that slap on the forehead with a…Wow, I could’ve had a V-8!
Since 2011 when I felt God’s call to continue my sister Sara’s Choose Joy discipleship, I guess I really hadn’t defined myself as having a “job in ministry.” For me, it was a journey of carrying on a legacy she started. A legacy that changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people across the globe. It felt only right to continue something that made that kind of impact on the people of this world.
When I began the journey, my daily prayer was that God would give me an open mind, a humble heart, and faithful feet to walk where He leads. I was walking into unknown territory, and I was scared.
I needed my mind to be open because I had NO idea what I was doing or how to even get started. I needed Him to lead this journey and open the doors that I needed to walk through.
In order for me to hear from Him, my mind had to be open. I had to fully surrender.
I needed a humble heart. I knew that in order to serve, I had to go into this journey knowing that it wasn’t about me. The journey was about Him and what He could do through me. Being humble would provide me the freedom to be me.
I knew God wanted me to be the best version of me without feeling inadequate, uncertain or comparing myself to others.
I needed faithful feet. When walking a scary journey of the unknown, it is easy to turn the other way and wrap yourself in the work of the familiar and the known.
I had to be ready to say yes with faithful feet to walk where He was leading me.
I think this quote from Madeleine L'Engle sums up the importance of Choosing Humility:
"In a very real sense not one of us is qualified, but it seems that God continually chooses the most unqualified to do his work, to bear his glory. If we are qualified, we tend to think that we have done the job ourselves. If we are forced to accept our evident lack of qualification, then there's no danger that we will confuse God's work with our own, or God's glory with our own."
And I must be chosen because I have never felt more unqualified in my whole life.
Jesus is our example of what it means to have a humble heart. He humbled Himself and became human so He could fulfill the plan and purpose God called Him to do on the earth.
By fulfilling that purpose, God lifted Him up to sit at His right hand.
When I humble myself to carry out God’s plan, He lifts me up too!
With love and joy,
Laura