What passions has God given you? What hobbies or duties—inside or outside your job—energize you and remind you of God’s purpose for your life? You might have a clear idea of what those things are, but you may also still be discovering them. Some people feel drawn toward certain pursuits from a young age, and others discover those things later in their journey. God gives everyone a passion and a calling for a purpose: to serve Him and to add beauty to His story.
But no matter who you are or what you like to do, you are an integral part of God’s story.
That’s the theme of Meridith Foster’s podcast The Unfolding. On each episode, Meridith talks with a guest about their story. She always begins with “who they were and what their life was like before” and then “how God was a part of helping them to meet that challenge.” Each episode is called a “page,” showing that everyone plays a role in the narrative God is writing.
Meridith explained: “God’s unfolding story is happening all throughout time, all throughout history. In the past, God’s been writing His story, and He chooses to do that through humans and through our lives, and we get the opportunity to partner with Him.”
That’s a sobering thought. It’s a “choice” to accept God’s calling for your life, and it can be a hard one to make. But God can do so much through you when you make that decision.
Meridith loves sharing the stories of others on her podcast to hear how God is making them a part of His story. She described the first episode with Joe Buchanan —one of her former coworkers—as “a leap of faith” that helped set the stage for the rest of the podcast episodes. This story was heartbreaking as Joe described the abuse and trauma he endured as a child, and Meridith herself was moved listening to the story of God working in his life.
The story of Megan Thompson also had a personal impact on Meridith. Megan was in her thirties when she discovered that she had cancer and didn’t have much longer to live. She passed away only six weeks after the podcast episode became available. Meridith felt the deep significance in this interview, saying it felt like “standing on holy ground.” “Sometimes you are capturing a story, and you just have a sense that … this story is going to have a great impact,” Meridith said.
There was beauty and sorrow in this conversation, yet Meridith was so inspired by the way Megan dealt with the knowledge that her time on earth was coming to an end. She found a way to trust God, to love Him, through the moments that were soaked in darkness, despair—and that stood out to Meridith.
In fact, Meridith said, “I learn something from every single story, every time … about my relationship with God or something about God.” Hearing other people’s stories reveals more of God’s sovereignty and His grace. Even listening to a story can help you draw closer to God in your own way.
This podcast has a lot of joys, but there are aspects of her role as a podcast host that are challenging for Meridith. Yet, she feels God speaking into her passion—and into the podcast—helping her with things that are difficult for her. Meridith said, “I’m learning to trust God for stuff that’s way outside my skillset.”
It’s okay if living out your calling is hard. Maybe you feel God’s presence when you’re writing, making music, creating art, volunteering, or doing something else. It might seem like everything should be easy because God has given you this gift, this calling. When obstacles come, when you feel out of your element, you might wonder if you’re really meant to do this.
But there’s hope. The hardships don’t mean that you’re not good at what you do or that you should stop doing it. It’s the opposite. “God often calls us to do things that [we] can only do this because of Him,” Meridith said.
And for her, “He provides the stories; He provides the storyline; He provides as I’m editing a two-hour interview down to a 35- or 40-minute podcast. He has provided every step of the way.”
Maybe you aren’t sure where you fit in right now or what God is calling you to do. It’s okay. Psalm 139 is a beautiful description of the individual beauty of each of us and how God has a special intention for every one of His children. And if you aren’t sure what that is yet, maybe God is about to reveal it to you.
In the words of Psalm 139:16, “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (NIV).
So, think about your passion, who you are. What is God calling you to do? How is He inviting you to participate in His story today?
If you’d like to listen to these beautiful stories, listen to Meridith Foster’s The Unfolding podcast .
To find out more about Meridith’s own story, you can read the story behind the host.
“God often calls us to do things that [we] can only do this because of Him.”
—Meridith Foster
