Don't Let the Hard Stop the Calling

Life has a way of convincing us that difficult means stop.

When the road gets steep, the obstacles pile up, and the weight feels heavier than we expected, it is easy to assume we have somehow wandered off course. We begin questioning everything.

Maybe I am not supposed to do this.

Maybe I am not qualified.

Maybe I missed God's plan.

Maybe this dream was never meant for me.

But what if the hard is not a sign to quit?

What if the hard is simply part of the journey?

I have spent much of my life waiting for things to become easier before moving forward. I thought if I could just solve the problem, survive the crisis, heal the wound, or get through the difficult season, then I could finally do what God was calling me to do.

The problem is that life rarely works that way.

There is always another challenge.

Another responsibility.

Another uncertainty.

Another reason to wait.

If we wait until life is easy, we may spend our entire lives sitting on the sidelines of our own calling.

Some of the most meaningful things I have ever done happened during seasons when I felt completely overwhelmed and after I almost quit.

I had to force myself to move when I didn't have it in me to move.

I started speaking up while I was still healing.

I kept writing while carrying grief.

I continued showing up while navigating uncertainty.

I pursued purpose while life was messy.

Not because I was fearless.

Not because everything was perfect.

Adassa, the voice of Delores in Encanto shared her thoughts and feelings about this as well while we talked about her book, Love Keeps Showing Up. 

She mentions:

God does not call perfect people.

He calls willing people.

Throughout Scripture, we see ordinary people facing extraordinary challenges.

Moses felt inadequate.

Esther was afraid.

David faced giants.

Paul endured hardship after hardship.

The difficulty did not disqualify them.

In many ways, it became part of their preparation.

The truth is that purpose often grows in uncomfortable places.

Character is built when things are difficult.

Faith deepens when answers are unclear.

Strength develops when we keep moving forward despite uncertainty.

The obstacle may not be standing in the way of your calling.

It may be shaping you for it.

That does not mean we ignore pain or pretend everything is fine.

It means we refuse to let hardship have the final say.

It means we keep taking the next step.

We keep writing.

We keep creating.

We keep serving.

We keep loving.

We keep showing up.

We keep moving. 

No matter what. 

Even when the path feels hard.

Especially when the path feels hard.

Because the gifts God has placed inside you were never meant to remain hidden until life becomes comfortable.

Someone needs the encouragement you carry.

Someone needs the story you have lived.

Someone needs the wisdom you have gained through your struggles.

Someone needs the light that only you can shine.

Do not let fear convince you that hard means stop.

Do not let discouragement rob the world of what God placed inside you.

Do not wait for a perfect season that may never come.

Take the next step.

Use the gift.

Answer the calling.

Trust God with the outcome.

Because the very thing you feel called to do may be the reason you were given the strength to endure what you have walked through.

The road may be difficult.

But difficult does not mean impossible.

And it certainly does not mean God is finished with you.

In fact, the hardest seasons often become the very places where purpose is born.