It’s always struck me that so many of the people God calls to do great things in Scripture are so utterly unqualified. Moses the shepherd had a stutter, and he was supposed to speak in the name of God in front of the most powerful man on the planet. When the angel of the Lord appears to Gideon and tells him to get the Israelites behind him so he can lead them against an army of thousands, he says something to the effect of “I am the least in my family, my family is the least in my clan, and my clan is the least in Israel!” We all know that David was the runt of seven brothers, who were all sent off to war while David stayed home with the sheep. Yet David was the one called by God to defeat Goliath and save Israel, (that’s tremendous!) The disciples were a bunch of fishermen and tax collectors, but they were entrusted with communicating God’s salvation to the world.

Even when God did call people who seemed “suited” to a new circumstance, they didn’t always turn out so well. Saul was an attractive, charismatic man, “the tallest man in Israel” in more ways than one. He, however, failed to follow God, and his dynasty fell apart as a result. Everywhere we turn in Scripture, we see God calling unprepared (at least in the world’s eyes) people to unexpected and new situations in order to do great things.

Given that most of us aren’t called to be literal giant slayers though, how does this apply today? Well, if we’re honest, facing new circumstances for which we seem unprepared can feel pretty scary! If we feel called by God to open a different chapter in our lives, one that might be wholly alien to the way we’re used to doing things, should we just dive in with reckless abandon? Entering a new job, starting a family, enrolling at a new school, all of these new beginnings can make us feel woefully inadequate. This can be especially true for the disabled.

I just recently began an entirely new phase of my life when I started classes at Patrick Henry College, a Christian liberal arts school 1500 miles away from home in the little town of Purcellville, Virginia. Before beginning this radically different four-year adventure, my parents, and I’ll admit, I, were pretty scared about a lot of things. The reality is, I have a physical disability, and we wondered if I really was going to be able to pull of the everyday tasks necessary for living on my own. My folks did NOT want to get a call two weeks in saying they would have to turn around and drive back to Virginia from Colorado to dig me out from under a pile of my own laundry and take me home! Aside from the purely physical concerns, though, were emotional and social worries. Would I be able to make friends? Would people see beyond my disability when I got on campus? What perhaps loomed largest in my mind was the question of whether I would be able emotionally to handle being so far apart from my parents, my family, my friends, in some ways everything I’d ever known. A few weeks into my college experience, I have once again been reminded of the goodness and faithfulness of God. Certainly, there are times when I feel homesick. But the people here are already becoming great friends, the intellectual life here is already pushing me to become a more effective thinker, and the devotion to God and his truth that underlies it all is enabling me to grow closer to Him who called me here.

At times, God’s calling takes us to places we may not feel comfortable going. At times, God calls our loved ones to places we may not feel comfortable letting them go. But, no matter how inadequate we feel, no matter what disabilities we face, the God who holds the universe in his hand knows what he’s doing. Jeremiah 29:11 declares “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” God will give us that future. All He asks is that we trust Him to deliver on His promise.