Think back to a moment in your life where you thought, “I’m not equipped to do this,” or maybe even “God, you’ve got the wrong person for the job.” If you have ever felt that way about something, big or small, congratulations. Not the response you expected to hear? Let me explain. If you’ve ever felt inadequate, unequipped, or confused that God has called YOU to do something when there’s clearly no way that you are the best person to do it, then you are in really good company: Paul, Moses, Jeremiah, Noah, Abraham, Elizabeth, David, Mary, Esther…. the list goes on. When God chose David to be king of Israel, He said “…The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) The same is true for us. Our apparent inability to do it on our own makes us more aware of our daily need to rely on Him to be able to be who we were made to be. So if you feel like the plans and dreams for your life are within your grasp, then you’re dreaming too small. God’s dreams for our lives go beyond our own ability to make it happen, so that the only way we can truly find the greatest measure of fulfillment and joy in our lives is by relying on Him. This is a reality that has transformed the life of Sadie Robertson in such a radical way that she has many times had to ask God, “Are you sure you meant this for me?” Between her family’s sudden rise to fame through Duck Dynasty and her performances on Dancing with the Stars, Sadie’s life changed in a very short amount of time. From her personal experience, Sadie shares with us some practical advice on walking through the process of preparing for God’s calling on your life when you feel unequipped to do so.

If you feel like the plans and dreams for your life are within your grasp, then you’re dreaming too small.

“It’s like you know the Lord is trying to show you something that He wants you to walk in, but it’s almost like you can’t see the full picture. Since April, I have been going around on these prayer marches on our property. In the mornings, I have been waking up an hour earlier than I normally do, just to pray that God would allow me to see where He wants me to walk and that I would have the faith and the vulnerability to do it. And actually, this past weekend, I went to a women’s conference and just had an amazing, amazing time, and I felt the Lord say, ‘Sadie, if you give me your image, I’ll give you my view.’ And so this weekend I surrendered any thought of my name, or anything that had to do with me, and just asked God, ‘Give me your view.’“ This doesn’t only apply to Sadie. As she says, “I think that there is something that the Lord wants to do in everybody’s life, and there’s a destiny to be walked in. But I think that a lot of times we just don’t tap into it or we just don’t think that we can, and we kind of put it on us, and the Lord is just waiting on our ‘Yes.’“

Power in the Process

Simply realizing the dream God has for us is just the beginning. King David had to wait many years between being anointed as king and actually getting to rule— and this was no accident. The calling God has on your life, much like David’s, requires much growth and preparation for you to be ready to step into it. Sadie’s story may have happened a bit more suddenly than some, but that doesn’t mean she skips out on the process. “There’s definitely been a shift that’s been happening. He’s been posturing my heart on how to walk into this.” Sadie explains how conflicted she had been with the idea of fame. “I would ask God, ‘Are you sure you want to make me famous? Because I don’t really think I’m supposed to be a famous person. I mean, I don’t really know what to do, and I don’t really look like everybody else, and I don’t act like anybody else in this industry.’ And as the years have gone by, what I just said, hasn’t gone away, but my heart has changed so much. Anyone that has known me can see it. Because what God has done is shift my heart to a place where my prayer, when people see me or the work I do, is literally that they leave not knowing my name, but leave knowing the name of Jesus.”

God’s View

Sadie discusses how she’s been following God’s view by stepping more into the ministry side and investing in her many followers.  “We are setting up a lot of conferences next year, releasing my new book, and putting out a new devotional video series for small groups—stuff that makes it so I can walk into more of a friendship and discipleship with all of these people who have followed me on my journey the past few years.” God has given her a desire to disciple others and offer resources on how to transform the relationships in their own lives into ones that lead to real life-giving change. “I share a lot of the things that I walk through, and my reason for doing that is not so people know my redemption story, but to help people walk into theirs.”

You Can’t Do It Alone

All throughout Sadie’s account of where God is calling her, the importance of authentic relationships is of the utmost importance. With an understanding that God made us for community, she and her team seek to provide resources to those who have no clue where to start. Sadie advises, “Get connected with the people who are connected with you. I strongly encourage everyone to talk to one of their parents, a mentor, a sibling, a friend—and stay connected with those people who can actually see the full picture of your life.” Not only do we get to pick our friends, but our families—while not perfect—can be some of our greatest encouragers and our best opportunity to begin building intentional relationships to support one another.  As Sadie puts it, our families can be “the warriors that stand next to us in this battle of life.”

FUN FACT:

Christmas with the Robertsons

“My family is hilarious at Christmas. It is a full-on event. We have to type up a schedule for the week. Almost all of us live in the same neighborhood, about 75 of us, and over the course of the week, each house hosts a different event. We have brunch at one house, cookie decorations at another, and then at the end of the week, we have a talent show where each family has to come with a skit. Then on Christmas, one of the really special things is we all go over to my grandparents’ trailer. They are the only ones who don’t live in the neighborhood. They call us “icky folk” for living in one. We’ve never not gone to their house on Christmas day, and it’s like all of us, all 70 of us pack in to this little double-wide trailer with wrapping paper up to our knees. It’s a really special memory.”

More from Sadie, visit www.liveoriginal.com