Okay, so you either feel excited to read this post, or you’re feeling like, “Oh, look. There’s that word ‘calling’ again. Yippee.,” in the most sarcastic tone in your head.

I used to be the latter. For various reasons.

As a child, I dealt with feelings of worthlessness and purposelessness. Due to varying degrees of trauma, I wrestled with feeling worthy of life at all, let alone a calling to fulfill. I struggled with knowing what it was I wanted to do with my life, what I was even good at or gifted in, and whether or not the things I wanted were the things that God wanted for me.

I used to get really frustrated when I heard (or read) the phrase, “do not be afraid,” in the Bible.

It just felt so….impossible.

We’ve all felt afraid before. We’ve all been in minor situations that are fearful, like that giant spider in your kitchen (sorry for the visual), and we’ve all been in major situations that are fearful, like a scary diagnosis, job loss, or other uncertainties.