You Can Exit the Stage, But You Can’t Escape the Calling

I have no idea what I was saying in this picture, but my friend snapped this action shot of me last weekend as I spoke to a packed room of women about the power of not just grit, but Holy Grit. I was passionate. I was excited. And apparently, I was also mid-musical pose, because when she showed me the photo, she laughed and said, “This one’s good, it looks like you’re on stage in a musical!”

And I had a moment. A total reflective, ah-ha, wow moment. It does look like that. Huh.

🎭 The Stage Was My First Love

Funny thing is, I was on stage my entire life. The Sound of Music. Guys and Dolls. Titanic. Annie. You name it, I was in it. I loved everything about it: the smell of the stage, the lights, the costumes, the energy. I loved making people laugh, stirring emotions, and bringing stories to life. Give me a song and a dance, and I was in.

When I was little, I’d pull out my parents’ old record player and dance around the kitchen table singing Matchmaker, Matchmaker from Fiddler on the Roof for hours. I’d sit on the carpet in my bedroom pretending to be Princess Jasmine in the Broadway debut of Aladdin. And Evita? Still a dream, so if a local theater ever puts it on, I’ll be first in line.

I dreamed of Broadway. Of New York. Of auditions. And I was good, small pond good maybe, but I believed I had a shot in the big ocean too. I heard God whisper: You will be on stage.

🎓 The Detour That Wasn’t a Detour

But I needed a “real” plan. So I majored in social work (I mean, I like people, so it worked) and minored in musical theatre. I got great roles in college productions and had a blast.

But over time, I realized something: I didn’t want to fight for the stage. I just wanted to be.

And I found that I really did love pouring my passion into people. So focused on social work.

Still, I missed the stage.

But again, I heard God whisper: You will be on stage.

🤱 Motherhood, Heartache, and the Spark That Faded

Junior year, I got pregnant and returned home to be a mom. That’s a whole other story, but I remember wondering if I’d ever perform again. I sang my baby to sleep, sang on long commutes to finish my degree, and sang in the shower. I was also trapped in a painful, abusive relationship. My spark was nearly out.

But late at night, nursing my baby, I could still hear God whisper: You will be in front of people.

💡 The Preparation I Didn’t See Coming

And then life happened. Social work. Direct sales. Leading teams. Encouraging women. And slowly, I realized: God had been preparing me all along.

• Singing into my hairbrush, building confidence in front of the mirror

• Lead roles in high school and college musicals

• Leading worship at church since 7th grade

• Singing at weddings and funerals

• Becoming a mom and wondering if I’d ever be seen again

• Working in direct sales, speaking to groups of women daily

• Training, teaching, leading, and encouraging women

And now, here I was speaking to rooms full of women about faith, grit, and purpose.

📣 Here You Are

When my friend showed me that photo and said I looked like I was in a musical, I laughed. But deep down, I knew: This is the stage God always meant for me.

He didn’t just prepare me to be in front of people, He prepared me to be real with them. To encourage them. To inspire them. To speak from a place of lived experience.

We forget sometimes that old saying: “You have to have the test to have the testimony.”

God gives us the story, the struggle, the spark, and then He gives us the platform.

Not just to perform, but to transform.

🔥 Holy Grit vs. Grit

This weekend, I spoke about Holy Grit. And there’s a real difference between grit and holy grit.

• Grit says: Stick with it.

• Holy Grit says: Surrender to it, then rise in it.

  
  

Success isn’t just about achievement, it’s about transformation.

It’s not just overcoming hard things, it’s becoming someone who carries light because of the hard things.

So live the life. Do the things.

But do it with Holy Grit, the kind that reminds you that your story matters, your experience matters, and God is working in you for something greater than you’ve seen yet.

So listen when He whispers.

What has He been preparing you for?