S5 Episode #8- Rebecca George
THE ONE WITH REBECCA GEORGE
This week I am so excited to welcome author, speaker podcaster, Rebecca George to the show! Rebecca is the founder of Radical Radiance® - a podcast community where listeners are equipped to blend what they love with the Jesus who makes them shine. In this episode, Rebecca provides wisdom and encouragement for anyone who is walking through a difficult season of change, wrestling with understanding their calling, or simply needing a reminder that God is unchanging and his faithfulness will never fail you! Whatever season of life you find yourself in, Rebecca has something unique for you!
More About Rebecca
Rebecca is the founder of Radical Radiance® - a podcast community where listeners are equipped to blend what they love with the Jesus who makes them shine. She is a podcaster, speaker, and author whose greatest joy in life is discipling others to pursue their passions in a way that builds the Kingdom. In her free time you can find her running outside, writing, or trying a new recipe with Garth Brooks playing in the background. You can connect with her on IG at @rebeccageorgeauthor or at radicalradiance.live!
About the Book
Do the Thing: Gospel-Centered Goals, Gumption, and Grace for the Go-Getter Girl
What is your “thing”? Surely there’s a better way to view it than through a lens of striving and worldly achievement.
You may have a special cause, project, or talent you feel called to develop. Fear and lack of clarity often make it easier to avoid the “thing” than risk failing at it.
Rebecca George is an encouraging voice in your ear to say, “Let’s not waste another minute of the all-too-brief time we have on this side of eternity.” She shows you how to pursue your goal with grace and confidence.
Part guide, part manifesto, Do the Thing beckons you to pursue the passions that stir your soul.
On this journey, you will discover how to:
See your gifts and talents from a gospel-centered perspective.
Prioritize goals related to your calling as you move forward with gumption and grace.
Overcome negative thought patterns to work and create with the confidence of a go-getter girl!
Today is the day to take a brave step in a purposeful direction, using God’s Word as your compass to do the thing He has designed for you to do.
LISTEN
READ
Changing Seasons
After getting married, Rebecca moved from a large city to a very small town. This was a time when God stripped away what was familiar and comfortable. This put her in a new season of ministry that allowed space and capacity to dream and trust God in new ways.
Rebecca has always dreamed of being a writer. Even at a young age, Rebecca played library! God had planted these dreams in her from the beginning.
Even though this was an exciting time, it was still so hard for Rebecca to release everything that she had ever known. She encourages us to give ourselves space to grieve the loss of a season when it comes to an end.
Entrust each new season to God. We must believe that God is bigger than each new change, bigger than the loss that we are experiencing. Each loss is an opportunity for God to do something new.
“Lord, I look to you with my hands open. What do you want to do with me in this new season?”
God will not waste anything in your life. He makes all things matter.
If God has led you to a new place and you are experiencing loss and grief in the in-between– God is still working!
God’s Unchanging Character
We have experienced so much change, and through it all, God’s character is unchanging. Even when everything around us feels unstable, God is secure, steadfast and unchanging.
God is infinite, wise, omniscient, kind… If God could change, then all of these other character traits could also change at any moment.
The faithfulness of God is the anchor that we must tether ourselves to. God is dependable. We know this at a head level, but when we experience it in a real way, we also experience it at a heart-level.
Do The Thing
There are many books about purpose and calling, but many of them leave us exhausted and in a state of confusion.
As Rebecca traveled and spoke to women, they often had a dream or desire in their hearts, but there was something that was holding them back from taking the first step.
What does it look like to radiate the heart of Christ in all we do?
What does Scripture say about our calling and our work?
What would it look like to take the gifts and talents that God has given us and steward them in a way that would build His Kingdom? What would this look like in your life?
There are moments when we all struggle with our calling. What if these moments of struggle drew us back to the True Source of our identity and calling– Jesus?
We can cease striving and entrust our steps to a fully dependable God.
What is Biblical Calling?
In the Old Testament, God gives Moses instruction on how to care for the tabernacle. In Leviticus, God tell Moses how to take care of the oil lamps. These oil lamps are the light source for the presence of God.
We see this theme of light throughout the whole Bible.:
Jesus calls himself the Light of the World.
At Pentecost Christians received the Holy Spirit and we now carry this light and the presence of God. We walk into our communities with the presence of God!
Thinking of our calling from an eternal perspective means our identity is fully rooted in who we are in Christ. I am partnering and co-creating with Christ on this side of eternity, so it is not all up to me! The outcome is God, but the obedience– the faithful next steps– is mine.
Overcoming Obstacles in Your Calling
The enemy would love nothing more than to steal, kill and destroy. We must continually surrender each step of the journey to The Lord.
The thing that God gave you is precious, but don’t be precious about it. Be willing and able to go where God leads– even when it is in a direction that you never anticipated.
Tips to Overcome:
Build a strong community around yourself.
Be coachable.
Keep your hands open.
Philippians 4:8
“Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things.”
Paul is encouraging the church to think about the things of Heaven. If you are struggling with doubt, fear, anxiety or insecurity, take some time to journal.
Ask yourself: What is excellent? What is nobel? What is pure? Etc…
Ask God: What do I need to lay down that is not from you? What lie am I believing about my calling that is not from you? What is the truth about what YOU say about me?
This will lead us to a more truth-centered perspective. You will come up against fear and doubt, but in those moments we must turn to The Lord.
Identifying Calling– Who did God uniquely create you to be?
Exercise: Create a Venn Diagram
Circle 1– What matters to you? What do you lose track of time doing? What is your heart stirred towards? What are you gifted in?
Circle 2– What matters to God? What do you see in His Word?
Circle 3– What matters to other people? What are the practical needs that you see in the world?
The intersection of these three things is where you could start with discovering the things that God made you to do!
Remember, nothing is too insignificant! God can use every little part of your life, story and interests to weave together your distinct calling. When you look back at your life, you may be surprised by all the ways that God linked seemingly random things in powerful ways!
If you’re feeling like you’re stuck in a season where you feel like you were made for more, remember that God doesn’t waste where He has you now. It is likely a very important part of how He is refining you for where He is taking you next!
Rebecca’s book took 10 years to come to fruition. Things take time.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It was God’s good idea, long before it was yours.
Ephesians 2:10
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.”
From the beginning of time, God knew how He would knit these desires in you. He sees the full plan and the full picture. He will equip you with what you need to live a faithful life of righteousness.
WATCH
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