I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard someone say, “I’m not sure what I can really offer,” when the conversation turns to faith, calling, or sharing God’s compassion in the world.
It’s a familiar tension, this feeling that somehow, we’re not enough. That the work of God is best left to people with training, a title, or more time on their hands. That, unless you’re doing something big, official, or churchy, it probably doesn’t count as ministry.
But that doesn’t line up with what we know of God’s character.
Remember Moses? God called him into something risky and holy: to lead the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. But Moses wasn’t so sure. He, understandably, felt unqualified, uncertain, and possibly a bit overwhelmed.
In Exodus 4, God asks Moses a simple question: “What is that in your hand?” (4:2)
It’s just a staff. A walking stick, nothing fancy. Probably very similar to the one in the corner of your entryway. This is the tool God will use in powerful ways. That ordinary staff will stretch out over the Red Sea. It will bring water from a rock. It will lead people forward when they’re not sure where they’re going. It’s not magical. It’s just available.
That question echoes through time and speaks to each of us, too: What’s already in your hands?
You might not feel particularly spiritual or confident. You might be exhausted, navigating work, family, or health issues, and the idea of “living missionally” feels out of reach. But you carry things with you every day that God can work through.
It might be your job, your hobby, or your experience. It might be your quiet strength, your deep listening, your laughter, or your grief. It might be the people you interact with in a given week: co-workers, customers, friends, neighbours. It might be your kitchen table, your car rides or your local coffee shop.
You don’t need to go somewhere new or add something extra to be part of God’s mission. You’re already in it!
The Spirit meets us in the everyday. In laundry and emails. In walking the dog. In texting a friend who’s having a rough week. In choosing kindness when you could easily walk away. In speaking up when it matters, even if your voice shakes. In quietly holding space for someone who feels like they don’t belong.
The early church didn’t grow because of professional clergy or elaborate programs. It grew because ordinary people lived differently in the midst of their ordinary lives. They showed compassion. They shared what they had. They forgave. They welcomed. They loved well.
That’s the invitation: to follow Jesus not just in belief, but in practice, along the way, wherever you are.
So, as the Fall season begins, I want to ask you a question to carry with you into the month:
What’s in your hands?
What has God already placed in your life: your personality, your passions, your relationships, that might become part of something holy? Don’t wait until you feel ready. And don’t assume someone else would be better at it. God chose Moses, not Betzalel. Bring what you have. Offer it with love.
God has a way of taking what feels small and ordinary and doing something deeply good with it.
This was written as my monthly contribution to my NB Anglican column, ‘Along the Way’. Photo by Milada Vigerova on Unsplash