Called, Not Qualified: How God Uses a Willing Heart

Our Scripture Study

Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. – 1 Timothy 4:12

I accepted Christ when I was very young, at a Vacation Bible School. It is a summer camp for young kids to learn about God. I was only a child, but I still remember hearing about Jesus — how much He loved me, and how He gave His life so that I could be forgiven and truly know God for myself. Even though I was young, something in my heart understood that it was true. I gave my life to Him right there, and although I didn’t understand everything it would come to mean, that day was the beginning of my walk with God.

Since then, my faith has been a journey. I’m not someone who has everything figured out, and over the years I’ve learned that following Jesus isn’t about being perfect — it’s about growing. Day by day, I am still learning to trust Him more, to pray, to spend time in His Word, and to let Him shape the person I am becoming. Some days my faith feels strong, and other days I have to lean on Him much harder. But through every season, God has stayed faithful to me, even in the times when I was unsure of myself.

Because I was so young when I first gave my heart to Jesus, part of my journey has been making that faith truly my own. As I have grown up, I have had to decide for myself, again and again, that I really do believe this and that I really do want to follow Him — not simply because it is how I was raised, but because it is the truth I want to build my life on.

Changing Course to Follow God’s Lead

Just this summer, I came to a point where I had to be honest with myself and with God. I was studying biochemistry. On paper, it made sense, and it was a good path, but deep down it just felt off. I couldn’t shake the feeling that the direction my life was heading was not where I was meant to be. Slowly, I began to sense that God had a different plan for my life — and I had just not been close enough to God to see.

Realizing that was hard, because it meant letting go of the plans I had already made for myself. But the more I prayed about it, the more clearly I felt God gently turning me in a new direction. I realized I didn’t want to spend my life building something that felt empty inside. More than anything, I wanted my life to actually count for Him.

So, I made the decision to change course. This fall, I will be attending Liberty University to study Christian Leadership and Business Management. When I think about it now, I know this is the path God wants me to take — instead of chasing a future that feels hollow, I want to use my life, my leadership, and the gifts God has given me to serve Him and to point other people toward Him.

Age Does Not Limit What God Can Do

While I was here yesterday, it was brought up to me that not many young men or women are given the opportunity to speak or share God’s Word because they are young and not considered to be qualified to speak. The man I spoke to was very impressed I was up here sharing, but Scripture reminds us that age does not limit what God can do through a willing heart.

I was reminded of 1 Timothy 4:12: “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”

That verse reminds me that God does not wait for us to be older, more experienced, or more “qualified” before He can use us. He is calling us now. He can use a young person, a nervous person, a growing person, and a person who is still learning. What matters most is not how old we are, but whether we are willing to live in a way that honors Him.

Trusting Him with the Future

I don’t share this because my story is finished — the truth is, it is really only getting started. I am still growing in my faith every single day, and I know I have so much left to learn. But that is exactly why I can trust God with my future. He met me when I was just a little child at Vacation Bible School, He has been patient with me through every season since, and He loved me enough to redirect me when I was heading the wrong way.

I hold on to the promise found in Jeremiah 29:11 — that God knows the plans He has for me, plans for good and not for harm, to give me a future and a hope. I don’t know everything that lies ahead, but I know the One who is leading me, and that is enough.

My prayer is simply to keep following Him, one day at a time, wherever He chooses to take me. Wherever that is, and whatever He asks of me, I want to say yes.

Have a great day in Christ,

Alex