Yes.

I recently had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Rwanda with my church. It was truly life changing for me. God showed up in ways I never could have fathomed. One of the most eye-opening experiences on the trip was preaching at a church. Preaching was something I never would have thought God would use me for. Afterall, I usually stick to writing, not to speaking. My team even had speakers planned, myself not included. So as I went about the trip, it didn’t even seem like a possibility for me.So here I am, the last day of ministry, feeling a little bit discouraged. I felt like I hadn’t had that one special experience I felt like I should have had. Don’t get me wrong there were too many amazing experiences to count throughout the week, I just didn’t have one that really stood out in a big way. At this point and time, I am sitting in a prayer service at a church that I was able to attend the Sunday prior. This multiple hour service attracted hundreds of people from miles away. They sang, and danced, and worshiped with all their beings that morning! I couldn’t help but be overcome with joy as I sat beside them. They were all in. In the middle of the service I see my team leader from across the way get up from her chair and walk in my direction. As she nears, my stomach suddenly flutters with nerves, but I didn’t know why. She immediately sits down next to me and tells me that I am giving a sermon in 5 minutes. I look at her, frantically, and just say, “I guess, I am!” Ironically enough, at that moment my nerves settled, and I felt really peaceful. Like the Lord was holding me tight in His arms, comforting me with his love. I quickly assemble some notes into a message and within minutes, I was jumping out of my seat and speaking about the word of God to hundreds of people. I shared about my struggles and how God is always faithful in his goodness to us. I went up to the stage not knowing exactly what I was going to say or how I was going to say it, but God spoke through me, bringing his words upon my lips. Despite my anxieties about this moment, God brought me through it with great ease. My fear gets in the way of my faith a lot. I’m afraid to sit with the kid alone at lunch. I’m afraid to have a hard conversation with a friend. I’m afraid to tell someone about Jesus. I’m afraid to talk to the man on the corner holding the cardboard sign. I’m afraid to be vulnerable. So, a lot of the times I say, “No.” I say no to that nudge in my heart urging me to get out of my comfort zone. But when I was at that prayer service, I finally said “Yes” to the thing that scared me the most, and God delivered. The thing is, we all get in our own ways so much, we let fear consume our hearts, and we put God on the sidelines. One thing that God has been teaching me lately is that the most amazing things happen when we do the things we are the most afraid to do. And if you feel unqualified to do something like me, remember this: God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called. If you are feeling unqualified to do something, I encourage you to say “Yes!” and let God take the reigns. You don’t have to have everything together because he already does. If He brings you to it He will bring you through it. When I said “Yes” my world flipped. I was finally able to truly comprehend the power of the Holy Spirit and experienced God moving inside of me like never before. God silenced the fear and spoke life. If you say “Yes” too, I guarantee you will be overcome by God such as I was. And you don’t have to be on a mission trip to have these moments. There are people and opportunities right where you are that God set before you. Moments will come where you want to ignore the tug on your heart, but those are the moments where God is so present. And he’s going to do wondrous things.“Perhaps this is the moment for which you have been created.” Esther 4:14words by Samantha Burton and photo by Arianna Taralson