By Jack Woods
With every new season comes new opportunities. Rarely has this been more evident to me than going through the first two months of the Capital Fellows program. Be they professionally, academically, personally, relationally, or spiritually, there is an overwhelming amount of ways to serve, truths to learn, skills to develop, and relationships to form and deepen. Yet, there is seemingly such little time. In the last couple of weeks, I have been struck by the visceral feeling that I am being stretched in a million different directions.
I cannot invest everywhere; I cannot say yes to everything; I cannot perform perfectly in every area. Yet, I believe that if I just curate the perfect schedule, if I just divide up my time perfectly, I can do everything I want to do and be exactly who I want to be without compromising anywhere. Shockingly, I fall short of this impossible goal. The weight of feeling as though I am not meeting the expectations of myself, others, and God is a heavy burden.
Is this what God expects of me? Is this burden mine to bear? Speaking to this feeling, Kelly Kapic in his book You’re Only Human writes, “Rather than allowing yourself to be honest about your finitude, your anxiety tells you that you should not only be able to do everything you imagine needs to be done, but you should do it perfectly. Anxiety whispers in your ear not that you are a good creature made by God but that you are insignificant, a disappointment, even a failure. Anxiety confuses limitation with sin, thus convincing us that we are letting God down” (pg. 132).
God is graciously reminding me that he does not expect perfection or limitless ability. As the psalmist writes, “For he knows our frame; he remembers we are dust” (Psalm 103:14). I see my need and my finitude, and I cringe. God sees it and calls it good. The Lord is reminding me to thank him for what he has already done, steward the opportunities he has for me here, and plan for the future faithfully and prayerfully. Yet, I can do all of this while resting and trusting in God’s perfect will.
Lord, I pray that you would guide me and teach me how to operate from a sense of security, not selfish striving, of abundance, not scarcity, of gratitude, not envy, of peace, not anxiety.
Pictures From The Week
Chilly day on the Potomac
Fellows relaxing and having s'mores on Sunday night
Life and Leadership at Pastor Rob's house
Megan, Josh, and Brigette at the high school youth retreat
Know a Potential Capital Fellow?
If you know a college senior or recent graduate that should consider joining the Capital Fellows program in 2024-25, please encourage them to get in touch with us. The easiest way to express interest in the program is our Contact Us Form. You can learn more about the program, including application deadlines, by visiting the Capital Fellows website.
About Capital Fellows. Capital Fellows is an advanced leadership and discipleship program for recent college graduates. Through graduate courses, a paid internship, one-on-one mentoring and many leadership and community service opportunities, fellows develop and apply their gifts in real-world situations while learning to integrate a Christian worldview into all areas of life. Capital Fellows is a unique opportunity to live and work in the Washington DC area and to be an active member of a supportive community that seeks to serve the city with the love of Christ. It is also a unique opportunity to get hands-on experience in the workplace while deeply exploring God’s design for us as workers and contributors to human flourishing.
Pray for the Capital Fellows
Thank you for praying for the Capital Fellows each week!
Every Monday night, the Capital Fellows share a meal together (prepared and served by two of their own), worship, and discuss various leadership topics at Capital Commons. This week we began a new discussion series on being "called to serve," in which the Fellows will be wrestling with what it means to joyfully and sacrificially serve in every area of their lives... Please join us in praying that, through their discussions and experiences this year, the Capital Fellows would grow to see service as not just an act, but as a lifestyle and a mindset. And that, ultimately, they would see Jesus as our perfect model of service—loving, sacrificial, planned, intentional, and fruitful.
Want to pray for the Capital Fellows in an ongoing way? Download this handy prayer guide for your phone or tablet.
About The Fellows Initiative
Capital Fellows is part of a network of similar programs across the country. This network is called The Fellows Initiative. There are 34 Fellows programs in TFI, roughly 3,000 alumni living around the world, and more Fellows programs on the way.
If you know a church in the US or Canada that would benefit from joining TFI by launching a new Fellows program. Please contact TFI by visiting their website.
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