Reading Time: 4 minutes

Jesus Christ revealed himself to the world when he was about 30 years old.  There is little known about him before then.  We know about his birth and that his parents fled with him to Egypt to evade King Herod.  There’s a story in the gospels about Him when he was 12 years old and from then until 30, there is nothing known.  

When He was thirty, He revealed himself to be the Messiah.  We can try to imagine what it took to reveal Himself.  Perhaps there was preparation in terms of spiritual and personal development.  Perhaps there was even some fear or hesitation.  According to the Gospels, He was hesitant to perform his first miracle.  However, His mother asked him and He turned water into wine, thus setting in motion a journey that changed the world forever.  Some suggest He was hesitant to perform the first miracle because there was a timing that He needed to keep for His mission on earth.  From this perspective, revealing Himself with this first miracle would kickstart this important mission and journey.

What inspiration can we draw from this story?  

Perhaps we too are hesitating to reveal ourselves.  Maybe we don’t believe we are ready to do whatever it is we believe we are called to do.  Maybe we don’t believe we have the requisite skills or that we don’t have other things in our life in order so that we can pursue this new mission.

If Not Now, When

Ultimately, Jesus Christ knew the necessary timing (from God) which is why He said “my hour has not come.”

And although He still obeyed His mother’s request, He managed to do so in a subtle way in order to keep the proper timing.

I believe that we too know our timing.  We know when it is time to reveal our true selves into the world.  

Back in 2008, I was called to teach math during a time I was enjoying a successful corporate career.  I hesitated to answer the call because I wasn’t even sure I was the intended recipient of the call or if I was even meant to answer it.  I had doubts about taking action.  However, there were no doubts when it came to how I felt when I tutored math in the evenings at a local learning center.  I felt fulfilled and empowered in ways I didn’t recall ever feeling.  I felt like I was doing something I was born to do, yet I had not really trained to do it.  However, without me even realizing it, throughout my life I was being prepared for this mission.  

• In 6th grade, I had a teacher who was obsessed with math and put more emphasis on that subject over others
• In 7th or 8th grade, my teachers would send me down to help the 5th grade class with math
• In 7th grade, I had the strictest and toughest math teacher in the school and she got the best out of me
• In 8th grade, I was invited to take an advanced math class at a nearby high school in lieu of my school’s 8th grade math course
• In 9th grade, I had the toughest teacher I’ve ever had in my entire life for an honors geometry course and after failing the first two tests, I busted my butt to pass the class
• In 11th & 12th grade, I was reunited with the same teacher for Calculus 1 and 2; he taught the course strictly by hand, no graphing calculators
• At university, I took math classes that didn’t count towards my degree because it exercised my mind in ways that my other classes could not; for the record, I was a business major

When I took the part time math tutoring job at the local learning center, I did so because I wanted to pay down my student loans faster and I needed the extra money to do so.

But then in late 2007, the call to pursue teaching math got louder and louder.  By early 2008, I thought about it all the time and started to contemplate quitting my corporate job.  

It took me many months of tutoring and also meeting people outside of my normal network who responded well to what seemed a crazy idea to quit my job to become a math teacher.

By May 2008, I finally found the courage to reveal myself and take my first major step toward this new path.  I turned in my letter of resignation and two weeks later, I was on a new path.  

You Already Know

You already know if you’ve heard the call or not.  It cannot be missed.  You can ignore it but you can’t miss it.

I believe this is God or the Holy Spirit’s way of letting us know that our hour is near.  

And when you answer the call and reveal yourself, you set forth on a path and journey that you were made for, no matter how unprepared or unqualified you think you are.

You learn what you need to along the way when you need it.  This isn’t about winging it.  This is about getting onto a path you are already prepared to walk.

And who knows, maybe the world needs you to reveal yourself.  After all, we are made in His image and likeness

So, again, if not now, when will you answer your calling?