Called to the Small Stage

I follow a woman on Instagram who has been on the public stage for many years now. She is a Christian author and speaker, and someone who often appeared with her family at local Homeschool Book Fairs and conventions when we were just beginning our own venture into that world.

I had the privilege of hearing her speak several times during those early years. Her passion for family and education was only surpassed by her heart for God. She was everything I aspired to be: dedicated, committed, joyful, and on fire for the Lord and for His calling in her life.

It has probably been some thirty years since that first encounter. Her popularity and sphere of influence have exploded, not only here in the states, but also globally. She has written a number of wildly popular books on family and faith. I've read several, and they are always uplifting and encouraging. She also hosts weekly podcasts that share God's Words of hope, comfort, and inspiration with her listeners.

She has undoubtedly been faithful to God's call.

I wondered how she knew God was calling her to a bigger place... a larger stage. Did it happen organically, or was it part of the plan from the very beginning?

I wondered if I could ever have been brave enough or gifted enough to even try half of what this woman has accomplished with her life.

You know, it's always okay to wonder, but never great to dwell on things for too long. Comparison has its place, but not when considering God's call for each of us, because no matter the depth of the platform, or the numbers in the audience, we all have a stage, and we have all been called to it and prepared for it by the One who knows us best.

Some are called to the grandstands while others are called to their own backyards, but the work done there, whatever and wherever it may be, if ordained by God, is holy work.

I suppose it might be tempting to think we aren't really all that important in the grand scheme of things, especially if our sphere of influence is relegated to our homes, our work places, our neighborhoods. It's just not true. We may never know the length of the thread of faith put in place by a casual invitation to a co-worker to come to church with us, or of a prayer shared with a neighbor facing surgery, or in an offer to babysit a friend's children so she can simply have a couple of moments away to rest and rejuvenate.

God calls us to be His hands and feet, and His hands and feet did both miraculous things as well as ordinary, humble things. He might call us to be cool water to a parched throat, or he might call us to dig wells in Africa. Is one of more importance than another? God always places us right where He needs us to be the most effective in reaching others with the good news of the Gospel.

Our desire might be to reach thousands for Jesus. Some, like the lovely woman I described have done just that, but others of us, likely the vast majority of us, will live out our calling from a much smaller stage. That doesn't mean, however, that we will be less effective, or less successful. It means we will be more personal. We will be more hands-on, one-on-one. It means that when we step out in faith, trusting the call God has placed on our life and do, joyfully and committedly, whatever task He places before us, those small acts of faithfulness will touch a heart and create ripples.

Only God knows how far they might reach. When we trust Him with our small stage, there's no end to HIS sphere of influence.

"Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass." - 1Thessalonians 5:24