Real Women, Real Faith, Real Life
God uses us in different ways in different seasons, and it is through those seasons that we see Him do His best work in us. But what do we do when God calls us to be bold in new seasons and calls us to step out of our comfort zones? How do we become Lionhearted in our calling? For Natalie, Zaedy and Kaneily, they felt a call to begin their podcast to empower women to be bold and share their faith on a day to day basis. An individual prompting of the Holy Spirit is what led them to begin the Unmerited Grace Podcast, a catalyst for women to be bold in their faith as they go out into the world.
Natalie, Zaedy and Kaneily are all members of not only one church, but of one family. Kaneily is Zaedy’s daughter-in-law and Natalie’s sister-in-law and each have a role in their church. Both Kaneily and Natalie are part of the worship team and Zaedy is part of the welcoming team of their church. She is also the principal of a Christian school that runs from Preschool to 8th grade. Zaedy also received the Living Light Award at this year’s educators conference for the Florida/Georgia LCMS District. Over the last year Zaedy had a stirring heart to get involved in women’s ministry. The problem? She felt too busy to take on another task, let alone begin a podcast for women. At the same time however, little did she know her daughter-in-law had been feeling the same way. Kaneily is a lawyer but works from home. She felt early on in her career that although she wanted to practice law, it was equally if not more important to be home and raise her kids. Just like Zaedy, she too had felt called to begin a podcast. She discussed her stirring with her cousins but later spoke to her mother-in-law and felt that this was something they could do together. After some time they brought the idea to Natalie, to their surprise she felt the same way. She also wanted to use her gifts to bring other women to God and wanted to share the Gospel with them.
Unmerited Grace Podcast is a weekly podcast that encourages women to become, as they describe it, Lionhearted. To be Lionhearted is to be bold in their faith everyday. It’s not to be a Christian only on Sundays and in church. It means to be bold in Christ in every aspect of your life. The question is, do you separate your life from your walk with Christ? Their answer is simply, no. There is no separation from your life and your life in Christ. Your life is your life in Christ. As the Apostle Paul puts it in Colossians 3 “For you have died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3) They started their venture of podcasting because they equally felt that it’s important to remind women of this truth.
Stepping out in faith is a bold step. The phrase “stepping out” in itself requires someone to leave the flow of life to do something different, uncertain of the outcome. There’s beauty and joy found on the other side of that faith. As a writer, writing content for my first podcast was terrifying but rewarding in the end. I also wrote a podcast encouraging others in their walk with Christ during the pandemic in 2020. The reward I found during that time was not whether I had listeners, it was doing something bigger than myself. For Unmerited Grace Podcast, their joy and motivation is even if their podcast reached just one person then they’ve done their job. I’ve often found myself asking if it’s possible to separate faith and everyday life, the truth is as believers one cannot go without the other. As Natalie pointed out, “what is your faith that you are not living it out?” In other words, what worth is your faith if it’s not something that is magnified on a day to day basis. When Natalie, Kaneily and Zaedy first took this step of faith they weren’t sure what was going to happen. Collectively there was a sense of uncertainty, to do a podcast is one thing. To do a podcast for the Kingdom required them to become Lionhearted.
In life we are given many opportunities to do something bold, to do something greater than ourselves. However, the road less traveled is where growth and confidence is found. It’s easy to live life cautiously, I have found this to be true. But the truth is what awaits on the other side of caution is the life God has called us to live- being Lionhearted. What these women have found in their time of podcasting is growth, not only personally but spiritually. Every week they sit down and study for their podcast, as they go about their studies they discover how they’re being challenged themselves. They have been given a platform and want to be good stewards of what they have been entrusted with. To them, this is more than a podcast, it’s a ministry and they have found joy in what they do.
Ministry, as I have found it is an outpouring of the work being done in you. In Matthew 5:16, Jesus says, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.” Our faith is evident through our works. We serve and create because of the love we have for God. Unmerited Grace Podcast began their podcast out of their affection for God and the women in their lives. As they stepped out in faith, they were hit with much fear, “will it make a difference,” “will anyone listen,” “am I talented enough for this?” I think everyone struggles with these thoughts, it’s normal. But the joy you feel once you’ve begun is greater than the fear. I’m reminded of Moses who God called to help free the Israelites out of Egypt. He had many excuses, he wasn’t a good speaker, he was worried if anyone would listen to his words. God reminded him every time, no matter who Moses was, God was greater- a truth we often forget.
Everyday we’re faced with the choice of how we choose to spend it. Will we live cautiously and go about our day to day life? Or will today be the day we choose to step out in faith and do something bold? Uncertainty is a wonder of the world, but it allows us to put our faith into practice. It’s easy to be discouraged by the “what if’s” but it takes great strength and courage to live Lionhearted.