It was my first day of work on the field. I was about to teach my first ESL class to a roomful of South Asian Muslim women. 

As the women arrived for their class, my teammate welcomed them warmly, passing out hugs and pencils in turn, as our students took their seats around the plastic folding tables. She had been teaching this class for months, gradually building friendships as she taught basic English phrases and grammar. 

She was confident and self-assured. I was frightened and insecure. 

What if I taught incorrect material and they became frustrated and didn’t return to class? What if I accidentally said something insensitive and ruined our center’s reputation, causing the community to push us out?

My teammate saw me panicking and pulled me out of the classroom. “Hey, take a deep breath. Have courage. You’re going to be great. God has called you here for a purpose, and He will give you the words to say. The ladies are very kind, and I will be here to help, also.” 

Have courage. 

In my experience, embracing and understanding courage becomes easier when we understand the ways and character of our Heavenly Father. He empowers the most unlikely people to carry out His work on earth. The beautiful and convicting thing is that it is always about His power working through us and never about what we bring to the table. 

Paul references this in 2 Corinthians 12:9 when he quotes the words of Jesus spoken to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 

With this in mind, we can have courage. When we are at our weakest and most desperate, we are more attentive to see God at work. When he calls us to do things that we had never wanted to do (like teaching an English class, for example), he shows off his power and his perfect provision for us in those times of fear and insecurity.