I remember it like it was yesterday. I was standing in a worship and prayer service at church and I felt a distinct nudge … God was saying to me, “I need you to do that.”

I had been frustrated with my industry and felt completely alone in my worldview, and that’s when God tapped me on the shoulder and told me I needed to be the change. And it was terrifying.

I bet you felt the same way, right?

Maybe for you it happened as a kid — the big dream that now you’re able to bring to life. Or it happened by surprise — the unique experiences and gifts suddenly make sense with this new call. But either way, it often feels big. Too big.

Here’s what I want you to hear: You are not alone.

Not only are there countless other businesswomen out there feeling that way, but there are also scores of men and women in the Bible who knew it was too much for them.

Moses was incredibly well-educated and cultured. He was nurtured by the best around growing up in the royal household of Egypt, but when God called him, he didn’t feel like he could do it alone and asked for help. In the end, Moses got to lead his people out of Egypt.

Sarah was a woman way past her prime. God told her husband Abraham that he would be the father of many nations and Sarah literally laughed out loud. She even tried to find loopholes because she didn’t believe she was really the one to carry it out, but she became the vessel for God’s promise and her husband and son became a doorway for the faith we have today.

David was just a boy when he was anointed as the future king of Israel. He faced giants literally and figuratively but often felt afraid, angry, and alone. He fell hard a few times and continued to get back up. In the end, God called him a man after his own heart.

Esther was a poor Hebrew girl stuck in a land far from her ancestral home, and it definitely wasn’t a good time to be Jewish where she was. Through some circumstances, she becomes the queen and defies the rules to stand up for her people. When she does, she saves her uncle and the Israelites in one fell swoop.

Peter was a castoff. He wasn’t considered good enough to study under any rabbi of the day, so he became a fisherman. He was passionate and a hard worker, and one day Jesus called him out of the crowd. Peter walked on water — then nearly drowned, cut off a man’s ear in anger — and got rebuked for it, and denied knowing Jesus more than once. Yet he became the cornerstone of the Church as he preached the gospel to his people.

Paul was smart and he knew it. He was well accomplished and lead boldly. Then one day he had a once in a lifetime experience where his life was forever transformed by Jesus. Suddenly he saw who he really was — the chief of sinners. Yet he became one of the biggest influencers in history for the gospel.

Even Jesus asked if there was any other way to accomplish God’s will once. Yet despite all of these men and women — their fears and their failures — God used them where they were for a specific purpose. Likewise he chose you for a reason.

He didn’t choose the woman you compare yourself to online or the lady next door who seems to have it all together. He chose you because your experiences and gifts are meant to make your own unique difference.

Each of these men and women of the Bible felt that fear and doubt, but they didn’t let it keep them from obeying their calling. Just take the next step. Move forward in your calling. God will bring you courage to take the step after that and the one after that. But it all starts with you.

Why You're the Right Person for Your Calling