My Call Story

A Pattern of Man’s Uncertainty & God’s Affirmation

When God calls Moses in Exodus 3, he resists: “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

When God calls Isaiah in Isaiah 6, he resists: “Woe is me! For I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. . .”

When God calls Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1, he resists: “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.”

Yet, for every doubt of man, we see an affirmation from God: to Moses, he said “I will be with you”; to Isaiah, “Your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for”; to Jeremiah, “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you.”

When the Lord asked me to go on staff with InterVarsity, I responded just like these men: “But I am not holy enough; I am not prepared; I have other plans,” I said. Yet just like their stories, God was persistent.

He showed me that my both my intellectual passion from my philosophy major and my entrepreneurial drive from starting my own business would be utilized through campus ministry. God told me that I could bring all of who I am into this ministry –– my fears, experiences, and skills –– and he would still be at work. He showed me that my desire for social justice was really my yearning to see the Kingdom of God. He showed me that my love for business was really a love for human dignity and flourishing.

For every excuse and doubt I held, God spoke love and truth. And now I can’t wait to see how He’ll be saying the same things to our students at UVA, when he calls them into a deeper and more challenging relationship with Him.

Here’s to an adventure ahead!