What makes a leader? I once believed I could effortlessly answer this question—eloquent speech, people skills, authority. I’ve come to learn a leader is more than a title or a predisposition to a particular set of characteristics. A leader is someone who has the faith to lead.

I’ve been in a few small groups over the years. In each of these groups, I’ve been met with an urge to take the lead, later realizing that urge was more than a feeling; it was a calling. I’ve had so many great ideas, ideas I would have really loved to see come to fruition. “You’re not a speaker; you’re a writer.” I told myself. “You don’t have what it takes to lead.” Several months ago, God put it on my heart to start a group of my own in my church, and I made a commitment to lead a group of women. I would be lying to say I wasn’t met with some doubts and fears, and even the temptation to completely forget the idea. But something inside just wouldn’t let me—the desire to conquer my fear and the realization that resisting the call would be revelatory of my lack of faith.

“I am not eloquent; I am slow of speech. Please send someone else.” Moses resisted and pleaded to God in Exodus when called to lead the Israelites to freedom. I empathize and relate so much to Moses in this passage. Feeling ill-equipped, unsure, unworthy is something so many of us struggle with as God calls us higher. The truth is, God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called. All we have to do is answer His call. In Christ we are conquerors.

“In Faith, a Leader’s Born” is inspired by the faith it took to birth the leader inside me. This piece comes in a white 11×14” Victorian frame matted to 8×10” and is available for purchase in my Etsy Shoppe and EBay Store.

kamillestreasures.etsy.com

eBay.com/usr/kamillegrace16

As a baby is formed in the mother’s womb, God formed me into a leader. He made me into a leader long before I answered that call, but I had to step out in faith for that leader to be birthed. Leaders motivate others through example, help people believe in their own potential, take responsibility, make tough calls with clarity and courage, and go their own way no matter how unpopular that way is. I’ve been a leader for some time now; I simply had never stepped out in faith to lead. It’s not the faith I had in myself that birthed the leader, but rather my faith in God to bridge the gap between my shortcomings and His plans, using me for His good purposes. When the desire to be obedient finally began to outweigh my fears, the leader inside of me was ready to be birthed. By God’s hands a leader was formed; by faith, this leader was born.