If you watch a baby bird attempt to fly for the first time, you will notice that it doesn’t look very graceful. It may flap its wings clumsily until it gets the hang of the motion. It has even been told that some mothers push the hesitant babies out of the nest if they won’t go on their own.
The baby bird has the ability to fly; it just doesn’t know it. It takes practice to figure out what its body is capable of doing. As you see birds proudly soaring across the sky, it is easy to forget that they had to learn to do what seems so natural.
Waiting to Soar
And so it is with ministry. Many times, we wait until we are perfect at something instead of just jumping in. Maybe you are uncomfortable speaking in front of people or even talking to strangers. Maybe you don’t feel equipped to teach others or you’re afraid they won’t listen.
It is often only as you begin serving and even making mistakes that you learn where God has called you. You may try out a ministry only to find that it isn’t where you serve best. That time is not wasted because you learned something there that you can take with you to your next position.
You cannot wait until your wings are strong and ready to soar across the sky. In fact, it is the exercise of stretching them that develops the needed strength. It is only by serving that you build your skills and talents in the place where God has called you.
Equipped to Serve
You may take spiritual assessment tests or other kinds of tests to determine where you are called to serve. These tests are popular with people trying to figure out where God has placed them in ministry. While God certainly gives skills and gifts to people to equip them to serve Him in particular areas, He also equips you to do what He has called you to do.
What this means is that you may have to begin serving before you discover that He has given you what you need for the position. Just as baby birds have always had their wings and the ability to fly, we have certain traits and skills that translate into gifts when used for the kingdom of God. And just as the baby bird must stretch and strengthen its wings and try them out before it knows how they work, we must also be willing to try out our gifts in ministry to know what God as called us to do.
Have you ever “accidently” gotten involved in a ministry only to discover later that is where God was leading you all along? Are you still struggling to find a place to serve God? If so, how can you get involved and stretch your wings to discover where God has called you?
