Faithful in the Small Things - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - September 2, 2024
"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." Luke 16:10 (NIV)
For years, I'd been obsessed with animals. I volunteered at the Humane Society every weekend and conducted hundreds of service projects. Nothing about my actions was wrong. They were just misaligned with God's plans for me.
God didn't boom His voice through thunder or lightning, but a gentle, still, small voice within prompted me to listen. Suddenly, writing replaced my fervor and passion for animals. I still loved and cared for animals, but I knew writing was my calling. Quickly, I started sharing the gospel through every pen and piece of paper I could get my hands on. I created a blog and was known in both high school and college as a "lover of words."
Over time, however, I allowed too many voices to get inside my head. This dream and desire to be an author were crushed by the weight of finding a more realistic and sustainable job. I was told I was a good writer, but many good writers existed.
Almost overnight, I deeply internalized the belief that I was good but would never be good enough. Even still, I never lost sight of the end goal. I was determined to teach while I had to, but deep down, I still felt the calling to authorship.
Teaching is a difficult, yet rewarding career for anyone. If it's your calling, the blessings outweigh the challenges. If it's not, it can quickly become a draining endeavor. My share of both highs and lows were experienced. However, I'd grown weak and weary after teaching high school English for five years. The light no longer shone through my eyes, and I was tired. I was tired of pursuing one career when I knew deep down I was created for something more. I was tired of accepting where I was, knowing it wasn't where I wanted to be.
By the time I reached my third year of teaching, God led me to the Author Conservatory. For the first time in my life, I had plans to pursue full-time authorship. I was taught not only how to become an even better writer but how to market, sell, and build a platform. Simultaneously with teaching, I ran a successful business and was given a life-changing experience in the field of authorpreneurship. In May of 2024, I was given a test: to take a leap of faith and resign from teaching.
Luke 16:10 tells us, “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities." May 2024 was my time. For years, I'd been faithful to a career I didn't want to do for the rest of my life. I was faithful to the little things. I knew God was using me where I was, but since getting married and finding financial stability, I also knew He was calling me to the place I'd felt led my entire life. It was time for me to see the fruit of my faithfulness.
Since May 2024, many things have changed. God's faithfulness has not. Merely two weeks after leaving teaching, I was offered a contract on the spot by numerous literary agents desiring to work with me. Fast forward to July, and I signed a contract with an agent who rejected my work three years ago. Today, I'm writing full-time as an author. And though I still don't know what all that entails, I'm learning to trust God and His faithfulness. For if we're faithful in little, we will be faithful in much. Only God can ordain this!
If you had told me three years ago that this would be my story, I wouldn't have believed you. This is not the path I carved for myself or my future. But it certainly is the one God has. If you need encouragement today, hang onto this hope: God sees the faithful seeds you're planting where you are. He knows your longings and deepest desires for where you want to be. And if you're faithful, He will see those things through to completion.
We may not know or understand the timing or plan He takes us on to get us to that destination, but we know that He is good and He is God. He keeps His promises, and if we're faithful in the little things He reveals to us, He will fulfill His purposes for us.
Pray Psalm 138:1-8 (ESV) today, letting it wash over you for the days you struggle to cling to this hope:
"I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased. All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth, and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord. For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands."
Agape, Amber Ginter Johnson
Photo Credit: ©Pexels/Negative Space
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
Kerry Washington, Andrea Bocelli, Reba McEntire, Mark Wahlberg, Tony Dungy, and Matthew McConaughey—what do all of these people have in common? They are all people of faith who have leaned on God in both the good and challenging times—and they’ve shown up to tell their stories of faith on The Jesus Calling Podcast. The Jesus Calling Podcast provides a place for people from all walks of life to share the heartaches, joys, and divine moments that keep them going.
Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
