"..I am what I am"

"For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed."
1 Corinthians 15:9-11


I read this in my morning devotions. Paul is so humble. I admire his desire to follow Jesus.


The reason this stuck out to me was because of something my youth pastor said about me the other day. I spoke at my old youth group last week about my trip to Uganda. When I was finished speaking, my youth pastor mentioned how I once told him that I did not feel ready or prepared to be a missionary. He told me that he doesn't think we are ever fully prepared to do what God asks of us.


In this passage, Paul said that he is lesser than the other apostles and should not even be called an apostle, but God gave him grace to be who God called him to be. Just like me, eh?


I felt so unprepared for Uganda in many ways, mostly spiritually. But God gave me grace and was guiding all of my steps. He protected me when I was sick. He showed me His children who are loving and God-seeking. These people became my family.


The day I spoke at my old youth group, my youth pastor kept referring to me as a missionary. After presenting my slideshow, I truly felt like a missionary.


My youth pastor's Facebook status after I spoke: "so very proud of Kari Wheeler, remember that name, someday she is going to change the world!"


I'm going places. I can feel it in my bones! :)