What do we do when we feel called into something we don’t feel qualified to carry?

Not later, not after we’ve figured things out, but right now, in the middle of unresolved questions, unfinished growth, and parts of our lives that don’t feel fully aligned. 

It’s a tension most of us don’t talk about.

Being placed in positions of influence while still feeling like there are things in our own lives we haven’t figured out, looking at what’s in front of us and quietly asking, “Why would this be given to me when I’m still working through so much myself?”

If we’re honest, we’ve all felt that at some level.

When Calling Comes Before Clarity

And if we look at Scripture, we’re not the first.

When Jesus identified Peter as a leader, He wasn’t choosing someone who had everything resolved. Peter was impulsive, speaking before he thought and often having to walk it back. He could be bold in one moment and uncertain in the next, stepping out of the boat in faith only to begin sinking when fear took over. He made strong declarations about loyalty, yet later denied even knowing Jesus when the pressure became real.

He was not stable or consistent, and none of that was hidden.

Yet Jesus didn’t wait for Peter to become someone else before calling him forward. He saw something deeper, not just who Peter was in that moment, but what those same traits could become when they were shaped over time.

That pattern is easy to miss, because most of us assume calling comes after clarity.

But what if it doesn’t?

What if calling often meets us in the middle of the process, not at the end of it?

Where the Process Begins

Looking back, that’s been true in my own life, even when I didn’t have language for it at the time.

It actually began with an experience in Honduras.

For the first time, I saw poverty up close in a way that wasn’t distant or theoretical. But it wasn’t just the need that stayed with me, it was the realization that I didn’t understand it, and I couldn’t ignore that.

Something in me shifted, and I had to figure it out.

Not just what missions was, but why people would give their lives to it, what they were discovering that made them stay when things got difficult, and what kept them moving forward when quitting would have been easier.

That experience didn’t come at the end of a process.

It started one.

Formed in the Middle of It

What followed was less a defined role and more a journey of discovery. It took me into places I had never planned on going, into challenging environments across parts of Africa, India, Asia, and the Philippines, where I began to see firsthand how people were responding to brokenness, need, and opportunity in ways I didn’t yet understand.

At the same time, I was still trying to make sense of my own life. There were patterns I couldn’t break, questions I couldn’t answer, and a sense that something in me hadn’t found its place yet.

That tension didn’t go away.

It followed me and shaped me.

That pursuit came with a cost I didn’t fully anticipate, shifting direction, relationships, and what I thought my life would look like. It eventually led me to New York City, where I began to see more clearly how churches were already working together, how communities were being engaged, and how long-term approaches to transformation were taking shape.

But even in the middle of that, there were many moments where I questioned whether I was supposed to be there at all.

I knew I wasn’t a pastor and wasn’t wired the same way. There were things in my own life that didn’t feel resolved, and I couldn’t reconcile that with the level of responsibility I was stepping into.

There were moments where quitting felt like the most logical option.

And yet, that option never seemed available.

What Begins to Shift Over Time

Looking back, it’s clearer now than it was then. What felt like confusion, missteps, and things not working was actually forming something I couldn’t see at the time. Even in the parts of my life I was trying to fix, something was being shaped.

And over time, something began to shift.

The things I had been trying to fix about myself didn’t suddenly disappear, but they started to change through the process itself, through the tension, the responsibility, and continuing to show up in situations where I didn’t feel fully ready.

Slowly, those same areas I once saw as limitations started to become points of connection.

Because the people we’re called to reach aren’t looking for someone who has everything figured out. They’re looking for someone who understands what it feels like to struggle, to question, to fall short, and still keep moving forward.

The Version of You That Still Feels Unfinished

That’s where something important becomes clear.

The version of us that feels unfinished isn’t necessarily the version that disqualifies us. It may be the very place we’re being shaped.

And if we’re honest, this isn’t just an idea. It’s something many of us are already living in.

There are places in our lives right now where we feel that tension, areas where we’ve been given responsibility, influence, or opportunity, and at the same time feel like we haven’t fully figured ourselves out.

Not someday.

Right now.

What We Keep Postponing

And for many of us, that place isn’t far away. It’s in the people around us, the spaces we’re already in, and the opportunities we’ve been given that we keep postponing because we don’t feel ready yet.

And that hesitation doesn’t just stay internal. It shapes what we step into and what we avoid, the risks we take or refuse to take, and over time, the direction our lives begin to move.

Which raises a question we don’t always ask directly.

Are we waiting to become someone else before we step into what’s already in front of us?

Because if we are, we may be waiting for a version of ourselves that was never required in the first place

Stepping Into What’s Already in Front of You

The tension we feel, not having everything figured out while still sensing responsibility, may not be something to resolve before we move forward. It may be part of how we’re meant to move forward.

So maybe the question isn’t whether we’re ready.

Maybe the question is whether we’re willing to step into what’s already in front of us, while still being in the process of becoming who we’re meant to be.

Because the truth is, the people we’re called to reach aren’t waiting for a finished version of us.

They’re waiting for someone who understands where they are…

and chose not to walk away.

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About the Author

Mick Richards is a media missionary and founder of MissionWake, focused on telling real stories that lead to real-world impact.

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For more information, visit: mickrichards.com