Have you ever felt God called you to do something - yet no one else supported or understood that calling? Have you ever been told by someone close to you that they felt God was calling them to do something... and you had a hard time with the direction they were being led in?

God doesn't always work in neatly tied-up packages. Other people are often affected by the choices and decisions that His people feel He is telling them to take and make on His behalf. It can be stretching and it can emotionally be frustrating and painful at times.

I find myself in one of these situations. And the first thing that comes to my heart and mind is - "How can I not support someone who clearly feels God calling them and directing them?" The second thing that comes to my mind is - fear! Fear for them, and fear for myself thinking of the impact and transitions that will come once those choices and decisions are set into motion.

In my humanness, I wish I had easier answers sometimes. I wish that I didn't have to face so many hurdles or go through so many hurtful battles. I wish that life would be just a bit easier on my heart.

But I look back and see how - in hindsight - so much of what I've already been through has been used by God and for God. God has always been faithful to me. He has never let me down and He has never let me go. Things haven't always been easy - at times, they have been downright difficult. But God was there with me when I reached the other side of those times. He never just "dropped" me in the middle of them.

I know that when God is calling someone to be used by Him in ministry - that there will always be growth involved. It's not always by the person being used, but sometimes by the people around that person. The people who love and care for them and who are being pulled outside of their comfort zones whether they asked for it or not... simply because of their close relationship with God's chosen person at that point in time.

If we are put in that situation, we need to ask Him for the strength and the insight to be able to learn and grow. We need to be open to what it is that God intends on teaching us. We need to be steadfast in our love for the person He is using - and we need to be moldeable. We need to be ready to sacrifice our desires and our plans if God asks us to. Yes, it may hurt. Yes, it may be uncomfortable. It may REALLY be hard for us.


But it will be worth it.


For God's calling and His timing is always perfect. And being in His service is always worth the cost.


Maybe that knowledge can hold us together through the process.