You’re Not Too Late: How to Step Into God’s Calling in This Season
Have you ever wondered if maybe you missed your moment?
Maybe you look at where you are in life and think, I should have figured this out by now.
Maybe there was something you dreamed about years ago, but life happened. You raised kids. You built a career. You took care of people. You walked through some really hard things. Maybe you made some mistakes along the way.
Or maybe you spent years doing something that was good, but now you sense God stirring something different in you.
And somewhere in the back of your mind is the question:
Am I too late?
Friend, I want you to hear me today.
You are not too late for God to use your life.
I don't say that just because it sounds encouraging. I say it because I'm living it right now.
Sometimes God Calls You to Something You Never Saw Coming
Recently, something happened in my own life that feels like a really big deal.
The website for Courage to Rise Project officially went live.
Courage to Rise Project is a new nonprofit born out of a very painful season in our family's life. We exist to support adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, educate communities, and raise up advocates who are willing to protect children and respond with courage.
This was not on my five-year plan.
I didn't sit down a few years ago and decide that starting a nonprofit would be my next big adventure. Honestly, I never imagined my family would experience what we did.
But after walking through that experience, I knew I could never go back to being the person I was before I knew what I now know.
I began hearing other people's stories. I began seeing a need. And God began placing a burden on my heart that I couldn't ignore.
Eventually, I had to ask myself:
Am I simply going to care about this, or am I willing to let God use me to do something about it?
Maybe there is something God keeps putting in front of you, too.
A person. A problem. An idea. A need. A conversation you can't get out of your mind. Something that continues tugging at your heart.
We sometimes expect our calling to arrive as a big, crystal-clear announcement from God, complete with the next 47 steps.
But that's rarely how it works.
Often, God simply shows us the next thing.
And then we have to decide whether we'll say yes.
Here are six things I want you to remember as you consider what God may be calling you to in this season.
(You can continue reading or listen to these 6 items on Pam’s podcast - Confident Christian Influence - Episode 249)
1. Stop Disqualifying Yourself Because of Your Season
One of the first things we have to do is stop telling God all the reasons He can't use us.
I'm too old.
I'm too young.
I don't have enough experience.
I don't have the right education.
I've made too many mistakes.
I've already spent too many years doing something else.
But who are we to decide that God can't use us?
If He's calling you, your job isn't to convince Him that He chose the wrong person.
Your job is to say yes.
I'm 62 years old, and I'm starting something completely new.
Years ago, I had the privilege of learning from Andy and Joan Horner, the founders of Premier Designs Jewelry. They started that company when they were around 60 years old, and their yes went on to impact tens of thousands of lives and provide millions of dollars for missions around the world.
Their lives taught me something I haven't forgotten:
There isn't an expiration date on being used by God.
If you're in your 50s, 60s, 70s, or beyond, don't assume the most meaningful work of your life has to be behind you.
Everything God has been teaching you over the last 10, 20, or 30 years may have been preparing you for such a time as this.
If you sense Him calling you to something more, start here:
Say yes.
2. Nothing You've Walked Through Has Been Wasted
Years ago, I went through my second divorce.
At the time, I thought my life was over. I couldn't imagine how life could ever be good again.
But in that incredibly painful season, God showed me that He was everything I needed.
Today, He uses that part of my story.
When I speak at women's events and share it, women often come to me afterward and tell me that hearing my story gives them hope. If God could still use my life, maybe they haven't blown it either.
God didn't waste those hard days.
He didn't waste those long nights.
And He's not wasting yours.
One of the beautiful things about getting older is that you have history with God.
You've lived some life.
You've survived things you weren't sure you would survive.
You've seen prayers answered, and you've seen prayers answered differently than you hoped.
You've made mistakes.
You've experienced disappointments.
And through it all, you've had opportunities to discover that God is faithful, good, trustworthy, and present.
Romans 8:28 reminds us that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
That doesn't mean everything you've experienced was good.
It means God is capable of taking all of it and using it.
The wins. The losses. The disappointments. The heartbreak. The experience. Even the things you wish had gone differently.
God doesn't waste the surrendered pieces of our lives.
You may be looking at your past as evidence that you're behind.
God may be looking at those same years as preparation for what's next.
3. Your Calling Doesn't Have to Look Impressive to Matter
When we talk about calling, we have to be careful not to make it sound like everyone needs to start a nonprofit, write a book, build a business, launch a ministry, or stand on a stage.
That's simply not true.
I get to watch my own children live out completely different callings.
One of my daughters homeschools her four children. Another pours into the lives of people who sit in her chair at her salon. My son lives out his calling as an executive in the corporate world.
Their callings don't look like mine.
And yours doesn't have to either.
Maybe God is calling you to serve faithfully in your church.
Maybe you're supposed to create the home where teenagers know they're safe and welcome.
Maybe He's calling you to lead differently in the company where you already work.
Maybe it's time to lead the Bible study instead of simply attending it.
Maybe there's one woman He keeps putting on your heart who needs your encouragement.
We tend to measure influence by how many people see us.
God measures faithfulness very differently.
Don't miss something significant because it looks small.
If one life is changed, that's a big deal.
And if the first life God changes through your obedience is yours, that's a big deal too.
4. You Don't Need the Whole Plan—Just the Next Step
If God had shown me every single thing that would be involved in starting Courage to Rise Project from the beginning, I might have said, No way. I can't do that.
But He didn't.
He has led me one step at a time.
I think sometimes we say we're waiting on God when God has already shown us something to do.
We're waiting for step ten.
He's asking us to take step one.
Years ago, when I knew God was calling me to write a book, I started thinking about all the things I might need to do first.
Maybe I needed to take a creative writing class.
Maybe I needed to go back to school.
Maybe I needed to prepare more.
But God hadn't told me to go back to school.
He had told me to write the book.
So what was step one?
Open the laptop and start writing.
I couldn't publish a book I hadn't written. I didn't need to worry about who would buy it yet.
I just needed to take the first step.
What is your first step?
You don't need to figure out steps five through ten today.
Take the next faithful step.
Then trust God to show you the one after that.
5. Don't Wait Until the Fear Goes Away
If you're waiting to feel completely confident before you take your next step, you may be waiting a very long time.
Courage isn't the absence of fear.
Courage is taking the step even when you feel afraid.
Joshua 1:9 (NLT) says:
“This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Notice that God didn't tell Joshua, Nothing scary is going to happen.
He reminded Joshua that He would be with him.
That's where our confidence comes from.
We're not confident because we know exactly where we're going.
We're not confident because we know how everything will turn out.
And we're certainly not confident because we're always the most qualified person for the job.
Our confidence comes from knowing the One who is calling us.
Your confidence was never supposed to come from your ability to control the outcome.
God is inviting you into something with Him.
6. Someone May Be Waiting on the Other Side of Your Obedience
This is the part I don't want you to miss.
Someone may be waiting on the other side of your obedience.
There are people Courage to Rise Project will serve whom I haven't met yet.
There are women who will someday walk into one of our support groups whose names I don't know today.
There may be adults who recognize the warning signs of abuse and protect a child because someone was willing to have an uncomfortable conversation.
I don't know who all those people are.
I don't need to know.
I simply need to be faithful with what God has put in front of me.
And so do you.
Your yes may affect someone you haven't even met yet.
That's why your calling can't be entirely about you.
When we make it all about ourselves, fear gets loud.
What will people think?
What if I fail?
What if I'm not good enough?
But it's not about us.
It's about saying yes and allowing God to work in us and then through us to impact the lives of the people around us.
The better question is:
God, how do You want to use me?
You're Not Too Late. You May Be Right on Time.
Maybe you've been looking backward, thinking about all the years you wish you'd done something differently.
Maybe you've been comparing your timeline to someone else's.
Maybe you've convinced yourself that your greatest opportunity to make a difference has already passed you by.
But what if it hasn't?
What if everything God has taught you up until this point has prepared you for something He wants to do now?
Moses was 80 when God called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Abraham and Sarah certainly weren't operating on the timeline they would have chosen.
Scripture is filled with people whose timing didn't make sense from a human perspective.
God isn't limited by your age.
He's not limited by your résumé.
He's not limited by what you didn't do ten years ago.
So instead of asking:
Is it too late?
Ask:
God, what would You have me do with the season I'm in right now?
Then listen.
Pay attention to what He keeps putting in front of you.
Pay attention to the burden you can't shake.
Pay attention to the people He's bringing across your path.
And when He shows you the next step, take it.
You don't need the entire plan.
You don't have to feel completely ready.
You don't have to know how everything is going to turn out.
You simply need to be willing to say:
“Here I am, Lord. Use me.”
Friend, you're not too late.
There is still purpose in your life.
There are still people you can influence.
There is still good work for you to do.
And there is still time to say yes.
One step at a time.
He'll be faithful to carry you forward.
I am cheering for you!
Note from Pam:
Hi friend,
If today's post encouraged you, I'd love to help you take your next step.
I'm Pam Pegram, a Leadership and Personal Growth Coach, and I'm passionate about helping Christian women gain clarity, build confidence, and lead with Christ-centered influence. I believe every believer is called to lead because leadership is influence. It's not about having a title or a platform—it's about faithfully influencing every life God places in your path.
If you're wondering what your next step is, I've created a free resource just for you. (well, actually a few)
Download the FREE LEAD Framework and discover four biblical shifts that will help you move forward with greater clarity, confidence, and purpose.
👉 Get your free LEAD Framework here
If you'd like more encouragement each week, be sure to listen to the Confident Christian Influence Podcast, where we explore practical, biblical ways to grow in your faith and influence others for Christ.
I'm so thankful you're here. 😊