In my last post, I shared the story of how I got my name, and admitted that taking chances isn’t naturally easy for me. Even still, I’m learning to embrace risk, and I see now that it’s a prerequisite for anything worth having. Your comments and emails absolutely blew me away! Many of you also find yourself at a fork in the road, whether it’s a change you’ve orchestrated, or one you didn’t see coming.
- Some of you recently started a new job or business. You’re excited, but anxious about the unknown that lies up ahead.
- Some have gone through a personal loss. It’s hard to even imagine what life will look like without the something or someone that once defined you.
- Some feel a divine stirring inside. You hear a whisper, but can’t make out what it’s saying yet.
- And some of you are ready for change. You’d take a risk if only you knew what you were here for… You wonder if there’s truly a specific purpose for your life.
It’s the last group of people that had me leaping out of my chair! And as I spoke to you through my computer screen, I realized I needed to hear my words too. Maybe we all do.
You are no accident! You aren’t here by chance. There is specific purpose for you… TODAY. You’ve got to know that, and let it lead you! We could cite Scripture and likely passages from every faith to back it up. Even nature will cause something to die when it’s no longer useful.
You may feel, as one person wrote, that your best days are behind you – your shelf life has expired – your industry has moved on, and it’s hard to find meaning in the mundane when you’ve felt the rush of being ‘relevant’.
Please, friend, don’t listen to those lies. Every new breath is confirmation that you’re not finished yet. No one gets to tell you that you’re done. You’ll be relevant as long as you choose to be. If opportunity seems scarce, go make some! You’ve got to fight for it. You don’t get your calling or your destiny just because you’re meant to have it. It isn’t automatic. There are distractions all around you that would love to keep your eyes and ears shut. Wake up!
Take notice when you feel a tug in your heart.
Be on the lookout for a friend or stranger in need of encouragement.
Listen for the whisper.
No one in the world has ever had the unique and perfect blend of experiences and interests, successes and failures, hurts and healing that you have. No one sees the world as you do, and that means it’s impossible for us to give what you can give. You have an IRREPLACEABLE AND PRESENT PURPOSE. Your influence on those around you will shape how they influence others, and so on. Your roll is pivotal.
Only you can do what only you can do. The rest of us are waiting – and we’re counting on you.
I wrote this with great hope that everyone will experience some of the gift you gave me through your emails and comments for the last post. Tell us something you hope to become or feel called to in the days ahead. (You can comment anonymously if you prefer.) If you don’t know, say “I don’t know, but maybe it has something to do with________.” By commenting, you’re telling someone else “You aren’t alone in your longing.”
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Thank you.
Thank YOU.
I always wanted to be married and a Mom, Now I am a divorced mom, I have found the Lord, and I have a Great Job, and I Love my kids, but I do feel sometimes the best times have past, but I have always felt that God had something special for me to do…I am just still waiting to see what it is!
GREAT post, Chance. It’s the year of no fear in our house, so your post is right up my alley.
So valid, so needed. Thank you for the encouragement!
"You’ll be relevant as long as you choose to be. If opportunity seems scarce, go make some! You’ve got to fight for it. You don’t get your calling or your destiny just because you’re meant to have it. It isn’t automatic. There are distractions all around you that would love to keep your eyes and ears shut. Wake up!"
I LOVE that! I love it because it's true, and thank you for saying it…
PS- help me out here- HOW do I become a "REAL GIRL" and subscribe?
You can subscribe (and please do!) ;) on the home page in the right column. Thanks for commenting, Debbie. Makes me HAPPY to see you here!
Love this. Great job!
I've taken the same leap, creating a blog. BIG desires to minister, and God leading in new directions…
I'd prefer to see the steps ahead, in sequential order, and alphabetized please- but God doesn't work that way.
Thankful for who He is and that He equips and enables us as we simple ABIDE in Him.
\’and alphebetized please\’ :) Made me laugh. A wise friend told me that it doesn\’t happen in a pivotal moment, that are calling happens in a series of moments that only make sense in hindsight. I think there\’s some truth there.
Have just made the decision to turn my hobby into a business and I am scared to death…this helps me see the glimmer of GOOD that God has placed within me and that these confirmations are not coincidence….they are God's divine leading in my life…and at age 50 I am finally ready to take a chance and TRUST Him with something like this…He has been preparing Meroe a long time and I didn't see it until now. Thanks for the additional nudge I needed to continue moving forward…
I loved reading this comment! LOVE that you\’re stepping out!! :) Would love to know how it turns out when you\’re further down the road!
I forgot to say I love what you are doing Chance! You have such great insight and it's very encouraging…I need that….we all need that!! Thank You friend!
:)
You know where I have been and what I have gone through. You have experienced the same indescribable questions and angst like me. When in one rushing wind all is blown away…what remains? After the storm hit ( Matt7:25 ) I discovered that although the upper part of my house so to speak was completely destroyed, the foundation remained intact.
The whispering has started up again and the call to fulfill the vision in South Africa is re-awakening in me. All this to say, I truly believe that what God places in your heart to do will constantly surface, bubble up to the top, NO MATTER what you go through. It's called destiny…the one thing that God has made you for and that no one else can do. You just have to be patient, quiet, and the courage to move in faith.
I knew it was a matter of time, but who can hear that in the midst of such deep grief? So glad life is moving forward for you now, if only in small steps…. Wow – reading your last paragraph – THAT\’S Mike Demus!!
I just want to make a difference, I thought it would be in a creative way through my singing at first, and then my writing…..now I'm not sure. I feel this tug, tug, tugging, like God is saying I put you here to be special, to shine. I've achieved things, I have three Godly boys, I have a husband who loves me, wonderful friends, I've tried to take some of the tragedies of my life and use them to bless others, I try to make people laugh to keep myself from crying, but something deep within me yearns to be fulfilled. I keep hoping that one day I will discover what the missing piece is and I know I need to get busy doing something, but what? So I just keep trying to be a blessing to others, and that satisfies me and makes me happy, but my heart knows there's more, God has given me so many gifts that I'm not utilizing. Fear of failure? I don't know…..probably, maybe I need to spend some time researching successful people who had multiple failures in life before they became a major success, hmmm…..it could be a start.
I think you\’re gonna enjoy the free ebook I give as my gift to subscribers. In this moment, I\’m fighting the urge to quote several of my favorite portions. Subscribe and READ THAT – You will find some answers there, I think! :) Know this… You are ALREADY making a difference. Music? Doesn\’t matter… Your voice is simply one vehicle God uses. You are just a singer, just a mom, just a friend, just a ________. You\’re right, though… SERVICE is the key. I\’ve come to REALLY believe that our calling is attached to how we can serve others. When you\’re down, find somebody who is worse off than you and find a way to serve them. There IS more, as you already see, but don\’t let discontentment lead you, or lock you up in chains. Look for it in SMALL ways instead of the BIG THING. I think that\’s the best way to find it because we can see small changes we can make, and small things we can do. Take a step NOW – do something quickly. :) And read Quotable – it will speak to you.
I know what I know and am quieting the many distractions of life that have pulled at me for so many years so that I may now REALLY do what I know to do…taking heart and courage from your awesome perspective. Thank you my dear friend.
Thank you for "being the change" you wish to see in the world. Pure inspiration for me, for all. <3
:)
Chance, I do feel a stirring of the Holy Spirit. I'm stepping out to see where it takes me. Thank you for your posts! Blessings.
Janet
I feel like I have had many "callings". BTW, I feel a little weird commenting here sometimes because I sort of feel like a stranger after all these years, but you are still very inspiring. :). My dream growing up was to dance, and it never happened. Why? I just really wasn't good enough at the end of the day and I made peace with that. I'm glad too. I have been a teacher, a missionary, a mom, a wife, friend, leader, and now a budding photographer…I still have a need to create and enjoy the arts. I've come to realize an underpinning in all of these things…a desire to impact. Jack and I both have life statements that we have worked on, and impact is important to us both. It's not for the sake of our own glory or names. We just know that god has gifted us with talents that He fully intends for us to use for His kingdom, but also because we glorify Him by enjoying what He has given us. It is kind of like what Eric Liddell said in Chariots of Fire…" I run to feel His pleasure.". I fully believe that we feel God's pleasure when we use our gifts and live out of His gifts. It's not easy, but it is the distinction between seeking the elusive happiness and the attainable fulfillment.
Thanks for sharing.
I\’ve come to realize an underpinning in all of these things…a desire to impact./// YEEEEEEESSSSSSS!!!! That\’s the deal – it doesn\’t really even matter HOW we do it, or what the vehicle is – our voice, a dance, a pen, a computer … At the core, we\’re just looking for a way to impact others positively. Very wisely put. And BTW, please don\’t feel like a stranger… You\’re a friend for LIFE to me.
Love your blog! Seems as if wisdom is speaking right through the page.
This past week, I was busy with Bible Studies, taking Christmas decorations down, cleaning the house and moving forward with the normal routines of life, when I sensed a heaviness in my heart. Loneliness seemed to creep in – not something I'm familiar with. My life is full with a huge family that is constantly in touch and a Savior's love that's never ending. The loneliness led to a vulnerability … another unfamiliar feeling, since my walls of protection can be pretty high. Well, the vulnerability led to a softening and opening of my heart, making me step into the unknown.
The phone rang Sunday evening; the call was from someone who works for a women's crisis center for domestic abuse.
I was asked to come and share a devotion with the women, something I've never done before. At first I was humbled at the thought of being able to share with them, then excited … then doubt and inadequacy began to fill my mind…what can I share with them that can hold them up, encourage them, tell them they are beautiful and worthy. How can I fill their needs, their wells are so deep. These are precious women from all walks of life, but the common thread is, their lives have been shattered. They're looking for a new beginning, a new strength to move forward every day.
Am I being prompted by the Holy Spirit? I believe so. Do I move forward and take a risk? Yes, although I'm not sure where this will lead. I'm praying for guidance, courage and strength – I know God will provide.
Thank you Chance, for answering the call to take a risk! Praying for you!
Thank you for sharing this here. I know it will help other people too as they read it… Do I move forward and take a risk? Yes, although I\’m not sure where this will lead./// I agree!! Get out there – I knew it immediately – you have MUCH to share. Much.
I'm enjoying the blog. I am a prime example of life changes. I don't feel that I have ever been still more than a minute. Once, though, I did feel irrelevant and kind of lost, alone and thinking I had made wrong life choices. And then…. out of the blue, I saw a child in Kroger that was a friend of my niece, but she was with strangers and on the wrong side of town from where her family lived. She was in foster care. She ran up to me, so glad to see a familiar face and told me her story before her foster mom could stop her. Within three months, I became her foster mom, and a foster mom to 22 other children. My relevance became clear and I have never felt alone again. Now, I have 11 "grandchildren". The moral to this story is if you keep an open heart and mind your relevance will be made known to you.
Thank you, Jane. Such a sweet testimony of God's redemptive purposes.
Wow! That is awesome, Jane. Watching, waiting & being ready to jump when the opportunity is presented is a beautiful way to live life. And YAY for all those children you helped lead and gave love and security to. That's amazing!!
Wow, Jane. This is a part of your story I didn\’t know!!! TWENTY TWO??! Wow. You are amazing! \”The moral to this story is if you keep an open heart and mind your relevance will be made known to you.\” /// YES! I love that! Perfectly spoken.
I must admit that I was a little hesitant to read this blog post… not because of anything other than the fact that I was disgusted with myself. I WAS the person that lived a life that most people envied. I can’t tell you how many times I heard the phrase, "You are SO lucky to do what you do." I saw things that most people will never see in their entire lifetime and I was a part of things that most people only dreamed of. I was living my purpose, I was fulfilled and I was happy! I woke up every day to excitement and value! I was pursuing value I lived to find it, I breathed to give it and life as I knew it was frankly "FULL OF PURPOSE!' __
Now though, my life is a WHOLE FREAKIN LOT DIFFERENT! Somehow in my transition from excitement to mundane I lost the craving to give and receive life and purpose. I lost the desire to wake up to excitement and purpose. The "want" to "want to" find value is still here. I want to crave worth and purpose and that is why I am disgusted with myself, I feel like I have lost "me". And that is why I was hesitant to read this blog post.__
But here I am, if I can overcome the desire NOT to read this post and did anyway, then I can start to pursue purpose. I can take a risk. It might not be what my former life was, but it is still something. I live in the mundane, but maybe I can live a radical, purpose driven, value giving MUNDANE life. Awakening the "want to" and taking a risk starts now!
YOU, CLM, are an amazing, young, vibrant woman. Some people need to be handled gently, but you\’re not one of them. Get up off it, and get to it, my friend. :) Stoke the fire. One thing, though. Do your part, but give yourself a break too. There are seasons for everything. You\’re a newlywed. THAT\’S your purpose right now. It\’s plenty!!! Right now, just dream – and write it down! Do SMALL things. You can\’t live at 10 all the time – and you\’ve lived at 10 more than most, so it has become your standard of if you\’re doing life right or not. Let the craving you\’re describing lead you – but I don\’t like hearing the word \’disgusted\’ outta you. On your worst day, you\’re not disgusting. There\’s more for you out there, sure. Go find it. But understand that you\’ve entered a new season of life – and that\’s okay. It\’s actually even great. :)
When I've read that as believers we are a kingdom or priests, I've always thought of that as our having the ability to go to God without having to go through another person. But this morning I read that we are priests in that we are consecrated to God's service. We are to be a channel of God's grace to the nations. I'm feeling called to that.
I'm enjoying your blog, Chance! Praying for you!
We are priests in that we are consecrated to God\’s service. We are to be a channel of God\’s grace to the nations. I\’m feeling called to that. /// Wow. VERY cool. Will be interesting to see what form that takes in your life!! Let me know if you gain some clarity as to how that will play out. xo Thanks your your kind words and for your prayer. Needed. :)