“Your majesty, I am no princess. I have no carriage, no parents, no dowry. I do not even know if that beautiful slipper will fit. But if it does, will you take me as I am? An honest country girl who loves you.” - Cinderella, 2015
It was a typical Thursday night. I was trying to finish grading the essays I’d promised to return to my class the day before. I was nearing the end, but my eyes kept drifting to the TV. What do I tell myself I can grade in front of the TV? You can’t do the homework in front of the TV, and you can’t grade it there either. I switched it off and poured another coffee. But my distraction didn’t shut off.
I had built up a nice career for myself. I loved my coworkers, loved working with high schoolers (just out of the junior high awkward phase, but still young enough to inspire). I’d even been voted teacher of the year – twice! And my modest teaching salary was finally putting me in the position to buy a house in Southern California, which seemed frightfully out of reach on a single income. So why the discontent?
Digging through each chapter with our Rooted group, I was reminded of the last time I truly felt fulfilled. It was when I was in those golden high school years, and I went on a mission trip in Ecuador. That experience flipped a switch inside. I had learned about the country and the ministry, sure. But the real revelation was what I discovered about myself on that trip. Working with youth was where I felt most alive. And lately, I’d wanted to feel that way again.
My inner monologue rambled away about all the reasons it didn’t make logical sense: If I loved youth, what about the students in Montclair? What about my apartment, and this little nest egg that longed to turn it into a home? What was I thinking doing all this alone and by the way, did I mention I don’t speak Spanish?
But God doesn’t choose based on foreign language skills or who has a month to month lease that’s easier to get out of. He doesn’t require us to already be married, or be homeowners or meet some other milestone. What inspires God is a willing heart. All the rest are details.
The above story isn’t mine, but it is true. And it’s a reminder that sometimes we can feel God’s calling just as strongly as we feel ill-equipped to meet it. David was considered such an afterthought that he wasn’t even brought to the sacrifice where the new ruler would be chosen. If someone had brought him, it likely would have been to help with the livestock to be sacrificed, not as a candidate for kingship. There are times in life when our ceremony starts without us. Like Cinderella, we are waiting in the attic, while the ones considered most-likely-to-succeed are in the tryouts.
But God will not let you miss your moment. And no, it has not passed you by. His infinite patience will wait for you to hear the call, fight through your inhibitions and wring out all of your worries. He will wait, because there was only one candidate, one heart He was interested in all along.