When God Calls You To Do Something That's Never Been Done Before

What do you do when God calls you to do something that's never been done before? You look around and no one understands you. No one "gets" it. In fact, you just look crazy to a lot of people. You're different wherever you are. You are also rejected a lot. You start thinking: "Is there something wrong with me?" Then you realize this is exactly who you need to be. You begin to understand that those things about you some people don't like, are also the things that ended up saving someone's life. So, what do you with that? How do you walk that walk? I'm learning that myself. But I'm going to share some of the things I am still learning. Perhaps they can help you on your own journey.

You will be told many things about who you are. I've been told a lot of things. People usually tell me I'm too passionate, too raw, too intense. They tell me I care too much or that I'm too emotional. I am what many people call "extra". I have also been told that I am antisocial, or I have been told that I am too bubbly. No matter what people say, I am always labeled and I'm never "enough". Needless to say, I'm not pleasing anybody. But there's something I have noticed. I am usually perceived as "too caring" by people who don't really care. I'm "too emotional" for those who like to bottle up their feelings. I am all of those things people are resisting to be. I tend to remind people of the things God is calling them into. I poke into the sensitive areas of resistance. So you see, you can't be swayed by people's opinions of you. They will always have an opinion, and 9 out of 10 times it will be the wrong opinion. What you need to care about is God's opinion of you.

I tend to give a lot of value to who people are and what they carry. That's one of the things I do for people that they don't often do for me. So, as I give value to people and what they carry, I learn many many things from many different people. I take the good and spew out the bad. I'm not too proud to learn from a child. There are things a child can teach me an adult could never teach me.

So, what do I do with myself?

I have to go on this journey alone. There's no other way. I have to go onward with God. I need to let Him teach me what no one else can teach me. I have spent my entire life trying to find my "crew". There's no crew. The only crew there is, is God and I, because I still don't know who I am, and I will be discovering who He is for eternity.

So, I took a look at myself and thought: I am still learning and am I going to be sad about people not knowing who I am? It is not their responsibility to show me and teach me who I am. God teaches me that in the intimate place. At my previous school, we used to talk a lot about belonging. Yes, it is important to feel like you belong. It is important to have a safe community where you are welcomed no matter what. But you must first understand you belong with Christ. Until you understand you belong with Christ first, you will never understand belonging in the context of a community.

I spent too much time focusing on relationships- and that's part of my call. But I had to build up endurance to depend solely on the One relationship that will carry me through it all. Everything that I am and everything that I will do is in Jesus. He is the only one who knows who I am and sees me from the future. He calls me into the future me. All of these ideas I have about what I desire in my life; about prayer. about community, about teaching etc. It was all His idea. I give myself too much credit. I take too much control of my day-to-day life. I cheat myself out of my own destiny. Why do I do that? Because I don't know who I am.

So, if you're called to do something that's never been done before, if you're called to be someone who stands out in their difference and are catalytic, you are going to have to do a few things:

1. Depend on God alone. If you're going to be consistent with something, be consistent with your relationship with God. Learn about the spiritual disciplines and practice them always. You will build an easy flow in your relationship with God.

2. Build up endurance to stay the same whether people praise you or reject you. Trust me, those can flip at any moment. You don't want to be affected by that. Let your testimony be from the Father, not from people "How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?" John 5:44.

3. Be confident in who you are. If God says this is who you are, walk it. Believe it. You don't need more confirmation. When you hesitate, you do so because you have allowed the enemy to question God's call on your life. "Did God really say.....?" (Genesis 3:1)

4. Identify the people who carry your same DNA. Run with those people. You don't have to be the same or necessarily care about all of the same things. You're called to be different, so you won' find sameness. But run with people who value at least one everlasting thing you value. For example, run with people who value prayer, worship, service or whatever is the area you are called to value.

5. Pour into the people who want what you have. Don't waste your time with people. Some talk and seem like they want it but are not willing to put in the time or sacrifice. People who want it don't care what they have to do to get it. Love people. But don't waste your time babying people.

6. You will have many trials. When you do, make sure you cling to Jesus and nothing else. Rejoice in your trials. They are your training. God is building up faith and endurance in you.

7. Give yourself the value God gives you. Have you read the book of Ephesians? You are pretty awesome. If God said what He said about you, don't undermine His words. Don't give yourself any less value than the value God gives you.

8. Don't have an opinion of yourself that is higher than the opinion God has of you. He is still God and Lord. He is still on the throne. He will humble you immediately because everything you have He gave to you (James 1:17). Don't take glory for yourself.

9. Choose to sacrifice and die for what you're called to do, but only if you are giving the glory to God. If you catch yourself doing anything for you or for people, stop and regress.

10. Do it all because of love. All of it. If you do it for any reason, you are wasting your time.

11. Learn to grieve and repent. Grieve and repent. Repeat. You can't grow if you don't know how to grieve or repent.

12. Honor others' journeys. But don't try to get other people to do what God has called you to do. There's a reason He gave YOU the vision and insight.

13. Make sure you have people pouring into your life, but most importantly, make sure you have friends who stick with you no matter what. You need a Peter, John and James. You need the 12 and you need the 72. The crowds will come and go.

I hope these things help you in your journey. If you want to know more about my journey, check you my latest YouTube video and my latest Odyssey article.