I marveled at the woman recently accepting a lifetime achievement award. So poised. So articulate. Platitude after platitude throughout her entire life. Intelligent, well read and a golden touch. Her impact — far reaching. She stood with humility, knowing that an awesome God created in her so much more than she could have ever known possible. But it didn’t happen overnight. Nor did it happen on its own. She has given voice to many issues that others would not dare speak of; and listened intently with heartfelt passion as others told their stories. Because of her position, she has mingled with greatness — many of the great influencers of our time. And when she speaks, others listen.
Time and time again, she has educated us, encouraged us and cheered us on as we went about our everyday lives — inspiring us to reach for the stars; to aspire more for ourselves than we think possible and to give ourselves unselfishly to others.
She is without a doubt walking in purpose. She may not have known God’s intent when she started out, but she continued to walk the path that she believed was hers, facing tremendous challenges, confronting her fears but persevering in the face of tremendous odds.
But what struck me while listening to her impassioned speech was how, at a fundamental level, I was no different than she was. She had dreams and held fast onto them. I, too had dreams, but held them at bay. Out of fear. Out of a lack of confidence. And while she continued to walk an ordained path, I veered off and no longer matured in my usefulness toward the call. Instead, I continued the path I’d chosen for myself and temporarily lost my way. Until I was redirected.
Just like the woman I admired, God has given each of us the ability to walk in the purpose that He has ordained for our lives. And it is up to us to continue a path that was designed just for us – continuing in the face fear, no confidence, and in the face of the unknown.
But the road to our ordained usefulness does not come without sacrifice. It does not come without putting in the work. And it does not come without doing things that take us out of our comfort zone. It does not come without having the courage to continue; for getting off the canvas and be about the real work.
How one woman has become so influential shows me the power of God to do exceedingly abundantly more than we could ever think, hope or imagine in the life of those who commit to pour out what He has placed within. When we give of ourselves with beneficial impact, God expands our capacity.
Women in Purpose 