One of the first things you hear whenever you start an adventure is the phrase, “Who are you to think you’re qualified to do that?”
Whether it’s a new job, a new ministry, a new blog or simply a new conversation with a neighbor, this question is bound to pop up. A friend will say it. A family member will say it. Someone well intentioned and close to you will say it. And eventually, after hearing “Who are you” or “Who do you think you are” enough times, you’ll start to hear it inside.
You’ll start asking yourself those questions and start thinking that maybe even God is saying that. When things start to falter, when the adventure doesn’t unfold the way you planned or things don’t happen as quickly as you’d like, doubt will set in.
You’ll think, “Maybe I made the wrong decision. Maybe God is the one that keeps asking me, ‘who are you to write a book?’”
But He’s not. I think that if we asked God in the middle of all that doubt, if it was coming from Him, He would say:
“One thing I will never say to you is ‘who are you?’ I know who you are. I knew you before the world was made. I knit you in the womb. You are my child. My work of art. If you ever hear the condemnation of ‘who are you to take this adventure,’ then you’ll know it isn’t me because I already know the answer to that question. I created the answer to that question and never need to ask it.”
Knowing that doesn’t magically take away that doubt. So expect it. Understand that at times, the doubt of feeling unqualified for whatever it is God called you to do will rain down hard and deep. But the voice asking, “Who are you, who do you think you are?” is not God. He already knows and more than anything, all He wants to do is tell you the answer Himself.
