Ready or not: Yes, it’s a big deal and yes, they chose right. Truthfully honor and respond when you are called to do something big.

Funny thing the way the mind works.

You can have limited thinking, and limited ideas, yet be way excited about them, because you literally have no idea how small they are.

Or, you can open your mind up, and all of a sudden feel completely surrendered and trusting.

You have unlimited thoughts, unlimited ideas, and are respectfully, um… A little bit afraid of them.  We’ll call it reverence.

You have absolutely no idea what’s going to happen, and while you’re thankful you’ve entrusted the master plan to the best master planner… And you’ve dutifully, joyfully, and prayerfully been obeying and taking steps forward, you really don’t know what’s about to go down.  Or how.

All you know is that it’ll be better than good, greater than you could imagine.  And it won’t be easy.

Because it’s worth it.

So you keep on keepin’ on, and all of a sudden, the chance to step up is in front of you.

Your excitement is far overshadowed by the weight of responsibility and  question of preparedness.  Instead of screaming gleefully and running out for celebratory shots you fall on your face in prayer.

Good Lord! Seriously?!?! NOW what?

You continue as you did before: Dutifully, joyfully and prayerfully obeying and taking steps forward.

You still don’t know what’s about to go down.  You do know what you’re supposed to do.  And it likely doesn’t make any sense.

You obey.

You move.

Knowing God doesn’t make mistakes, doesn’t fail, doesn’t move the way we do, and has better plans for you than you could dream, you move as he instructs.

Whether you think you’re ready or not really isn’t up to you.

You’re acutely aware that succumbing to disobedience and fear at this point is the equivalent of telling your coach not only will you not start, you’d rather watch the super bowl from the bench.  Yeah, right.

You move.

You get your mind right and move forward in the right pace: Ready to endure for the long haul becomes paramount.

You move forward with the right stance, firm in the knowledge of who your ultimate authority is and your submission to be wielded in the most powerfully effective way.

You move forward in the right posture, actively listening, not rushing past the truth.

Your gratitude is filled with the deep weight of responsibility, and graciously incredulous acceptance of qualification.  Your gratitude is balanced by the unrelenting posture of servitude, constantly seeking instruction and following obediently.

When a bench player is called to start in the game of a lifetime, they don’t run off the field to celebrate the opportunity to win.  They move into warrior mode, getting their mind right, warming up, seeking and heeding final instruction.

It’s the game of a lifetime.

Sure, someone else could be called up from the bench but why would they give away the opportunity of a lifetime?

You dishonor the opportunity and yourself by refusing, and accepting the lie that both are smaller than they are.  If it’s really that important a game, not only is refusal not an option, choosing wrong isn’t either:  They wouldn’t ask just anyone to play.

Stepping down is trying to convince yourself to believe the lie that they chose wrong for something unimportant.

If you’ve been called, you are ready.  The invitation is the qualifier and validation.  Your great task is to get out of your way and let yourself be used as you were called.  Continue doing what you did to receive the call, and add to that, the readiness to respond.