You Are Chosen and Called
Most people are unclear about what they are here to do and so many have given up on the notion of finding their calling or purpose (or perhaps never even had it).
Hear this truth: YOU are DESTINED to do something remarkable with your life –it is what you are divinely designed to do. You are CHOSEN and EQUIPPED to make a specific impact in your sphere of influence.
If you dare to believe that MORE is possible, that belief will carry you to the reality of what you most desire, as you take steps forward each day.
About four years ago, I wrote a devotional called Chosen & Called that I posted on my blog. What’s remarkable is that it is one of the top pages that folks visit on my site currently. The post has NOTHING to do with leadership or personal branding but was about my beliefs and my story of how I could finally accept that I was chosen and called to do the work that I do as the Brilliance Unveiler.
When I was just eight years old, I learned what it was like not to be chosen. It was in Physical Education class. Two captains would be chosen each to lead a team that would compete against the other in physical activities. The moment I dreaded most would follow when the captains would select members for their team from the group of 30 or so students in my class. Among the first to be chosen would be the popular kids, followed by the cool kids, the athletically inclined kids, and the really smart kids.
There I stood, feeling inadequate and unappreciated as name after name that was not mine was called. In truth, I was not the poster child of athleticism. At that age, I was already tall and lanky and because I was growing into my ever-sprouting frame, I was awkward in my body. It didn’t help that I suffered from bouts of asthma that made physical exertion a challenge.
As my classmates high-fived and pat each other on the back as they were chosen, I stood, frozen, staring intently at some spot on the concrete, so the shame on my face could be veiled. Finally, I’d hear one of the captains say, “I choose Natalie”. At this point in the selection with the teams pretty much finalized, no one really cared. Even though I was eventually “chosen”, it was because I had to be, not because I was favored in any way. On a good day, I wasn’t called dead last.
I got so used to not being chosen or favored that when I was, I simply could not believe it. At 25 years old I was offered a much-coveted full scholarship to attend Cambridge University to pursue a Master’s degree. Nothing in my experience to this point quite prepared me for this achievement. I spent the first few months of my program in complete disbelief, thinking that surely the powers that be must have made a mistake (I share more on that story in chapter 4 of my book, It’s Your Time to Shine Girl).
How could I have been chosen? In my most insecure moments, I felt that if they knew who I really was, they would never have chosen me. Imposter Syndrome ran rampant in my mind and almost derailed my success. Yet I had worked very hard to earn such an award, graduating at the top of my class as an undergraduate.
It just seemed too good to be true. Though I was chosen to be among a few privileged students, I could not embrace the gift until I accepted the fact that I had earned it and deserved it and had what it took to successfully get through it.
How different is God’s selection of His chosen children? In Ephesians 1:4-5, Paul says God “… chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—”
There is so much to unpack in these two verses. But the clincher for me is the realization that God’s love and selection of me are different than anything that I would ever experience on earth, even being chosen as the recipient of a prestigious scholarship to one of the most renowned universities in the world.
It is no surprise that I struggled for a long time to understand that as a child of God, I had been chosen, specially selected, before the creation of the whole Universe. God’s choice is not haphazard or by chance. It is not an afterthought, a whim, or a compromise. It’s certainly not a “have to”. No, we are chosen, selected, and set apart, by His design!
I hope that excerpt inspires you. Again, you can read the full post HERE.
Understanding our divine design can take a long time. Embracing the fact that we are specifically called to serve in a unique distinct way can take even longer. But from my own journey, I can attest to the truth that when you’re operating in your calling in your brilliance, nothing compares to it. N.O.T.H.I.N.G.!
On the flip side, when you aren’t clear on your calling, you can EASILY lose your way. That can look like:
Loss of passion, spark, or motivation
Indecision
Procrastination
Self-doubt
Chasing shiny objects
Addiction to distractions
Scattered energy
Constantly waiting or praying for clarity
Focusing on and stressing over small, insignificant things (e.g. tactics)
When you RELEASE the negative narratives and all the conditioning that make you doubt your brilliance and instead tap into what you are here to do, you can RECLAIM your brilliance and REAWAKEN to your purpose.
When you have clarity on your calling and operate from this posture, this is when you’re unstoppable, making your impact, making a difference! And isn’t this what you want, sister?
We are chosen and called by our creator. To be chosen is to be called!
You can buy into the fear, the conditioning, the lies... that say you aren't enough, aren’t qualified, aren’t special or chosen. OR you can create a new reality where you are confident in who you are, your brilliance and your divine assignment, where your thoughts, actions, and choices are aligned with your TRUE calling.
What would you choose?
You are destined for far greater things and need to be around people who SEE that, SUPPORT that, and show you HOW.
You can keep reading my blogs to find inspiration (being the lurker as one of my mentees calls it) and I love that you can access that for FREE! Seriously I do.
But getting the high-touch support and coaching in my Unveil Your Brilliance program is A game changer. Don’t just take my word for it though. Here’s what past clients have said.
With ALL that said (yeah, I’m wordy), let this be the year you make a choice that accelerates you into the heart of your WHY and see your world change beyond your wildest imagination!
To your continued unveiling friend!
Natalie
The Brilliance Unveiler
Register for my Women’s Catalyst Circle: Visibility Unveiled—Stepping Up and Standing Out in Your Arena
My next WCC event will be held on May 21st at the Maryland Innovation Center, and it will be about—visibility!!
The event titled Visibility Unveiled: Stepping Up and Standing Out in Your Arena is going to be about how we harness our platforms, perspectives, and privileges to ignite change in our spheres of influence.
Register today for May’s WCC and sign up for a very special experience.