Start Before You’re Ready

Toussaint Williams
Sep 1, 2018 · 4 min read

“Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Jeremiah 1:6, 7

Start Before You’re Ready

I got the phrase from KevOnStage (he’s hilarious, check him out on Facebook or YouTube!), but it's been around for centuries. It is found when God “hijacked” a young boy’s life. It seemed like he didn’t have a clue what God was going to do… (Do we ever?). There was no invitation. No save the date. No preview of coming attractions. God didn’t ring a doorbell or knock before He entered. He shows up unannounced with a to do list. He reveals to Jeremiah the plan for His life, without giving Jeremiah any input in the proposal. Without a word of introduction, He tells Jeremiah that he was known before he was born and that his divine purpose was to be a prophet to the nations. PAUSE! HOLD ON JUST A SECOND!

What teenager wants to be a prophet? When I was a teen I was thinking about girls, basketball, and working at Wendy’s so I could save up enough money to buy a car. A prophet??? What about the NBA? Prom? Going to the mall and hanging with his friends? A Prophet? To make matters worse, Jeremiah reminds God that he has an issue that God must have forgotten about. His response was a lot like many of ours, “I can’t speak and I’m too young!” God responded “Don’t say ‘I’m too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.”

Wait… What?

That doesn’t even make sense! How in the world would I start if I know I’m not ready? There are sooooo many are things I have to do to be successful! I’m too young. I have too many issues. I am too busy. I have too many responsibilities. The challenges will be too great. I don’ know enough about the topic. My income does not match the stated criteria. I have too much debt. My student loans are due. I need to figure my finances out. I don’t have enough experience. I am insecure. What will people think of me? I don’t have authority in that area. I don’t know what I’m doing. I will make a fool of myself.

What if I told you, you would never be ready? You will never be good enough. You will always have people that hate on you. You will always have people that will think you are not equipped. You might make a fool of yourself. You could end up in further debt. You do have too many issues. You might be too busy. Your responsibilities will increase. The challenges could be even greater. You will never have the financial resources necessary to fund your dream. You may always stutter when you talk. It’s possible that you will fall flat on your face. Start anyhow!

The world can’t wait for you to get older. The universe is in desperate need of you. This text teaches us that there are people that could be saved or lost based on how you use your gift. There is no time for you to get what you think you need to get started on this new journey… start before you’re ready. You may have some challenges along the way… start before you’re ready. You may stutter… start before you’re ready.. You very well may not have enough money… start before you’re ready. The task may seem daunting and you may be unsure of where to begin… start before you’re ready. You may wonder what people are going to think about you (they’re only worried about you because they haven’t started themselves — you will never be able to appease them anyway!) … Start before you’re ready.

God never said Jeremiah’s complaints weren’t valid. He never responded with, “My bad, I didn’t think about that one! I’ll come back when you are older.” God gave the young man a command that was greater than his mind could conceive and his resources could handle and essentially said… “Start before you’re ready”. Don’t wait for your feelings to catch up with your dream. Don’t allow fear or doubt or insecurity to subside before you do what it is in your heart to do, especially when it is for humanity’s good and God’s glory. Take a leap. Your steps are ordered (Ps 37:23). God will direct you (Prov. 3:5,6). Trust that He will keep you. He will push you to start even when you don’t feel ready. Even if you don’t feel ready, know that He’ll keep you… One Day at a Time.

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