Calling—The Power of God’s Design in You

Your ministry calling is the power of God’s design in you. Wholeness of life and leadership flows from the inside—that secret place that wins no applause.

Most of us probably have stacks of leadership books on our library shelves and try to attend the latest conferences where influential persons in their fields share the latest success stories. Although reading leadership materials and attending conferences such as these prove useful, relying on these methods often leads to generic leadership development instead of organic growth.

When our calling and leadership strive to reproduce someone else’s pattern for triumph instead of looking deeper within to develop our own strengths, weaknesses, and unique qualities, we simply dress in oversized clothes and boots in a futile attempt to make a one-size-fits-all approach work for our own contexts.

As female leaders, the litmus test for calling occurs in understanding the power of femininity. Leaders are leaders but are expressed as male and female; they bring both sameness and differences to the table. Calling—the power of God’s design in you—cannot negate the reality that you are a woman.

Psalm 68:11 says, “The Lord announces the Word and the women who proclaim it are a mighty throng.” In the ancient world of the Israelites, the men typically fought the battle, but the women sang the victory song. Thus, Miriam, at the crossing of the Red Sea, picked up her tambourine and sang in victory: “‘Sing to the Lord for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea’ (Exodus 15: 20-21).”

Likewise, Judges 5 features the Song of Deborah: “Villagers in Israel would not fight; they held back until I, Deborah, arose, until I arose, a mother in Israel” (5:7). As a woman, warrior, and a judge of Israel, Barak refused to enter into battle without her, and Deborah engaged in her femaleness—when the battle was won, she made a song declaration. Both these women did not shrink back from their calling or their femaleness.

The aim of life and leadership is to wear properly fitted clothing, not oversized generic ones. The “what” in leading is no longer gauged by human accolades, but allows calling to flow out of the inside and be congruent with who we are. If we do this, friends, we can begin to operate in what God designed for us to do.