Cathy Madavan reflects on the fact that all things are possible with God.

Cathy Madavan

Hearing other people's personal experiences and journey can help encourage us in our walk. Knowing others have overcome in life helps us to face the challenges in front of us.

I'd like to share with you something Cathy Madavan spoke about. I interviewed her on Fusion, my Cross Rhythms radio show. Fusion encourages young girls to rise up and discover who they were made to be.

Cathy works freelance for a few different charities and organisations, like Care for the Family and Spring Harvest and is a regular contributor to Liberty magazine. She also recently published a book called Digging For Diamonds. She is married and has two teenage girls.

Cathy shared how in life, you sometimes have to step out of your comfort zone and be prepared to take risks in ways that you never imagined.

Cathy said, "I didn't have the most stable and safe upbringing. In some ways that's terrible, of course, but in lots of ways it really equipped me for being able to take risks and step out and try things. I had to rely on myself and find my own resources and dig really deep, just to get on and do the things that I needed to do in my life; whether that was doing my studies, or part time jobs and getting myself here and there and everywhere.

None of us would choose to have to be really independent, really young. However it's really helped me to know that if I need to do something that I'm really nervous about, like a new opportunity, then if I dig down really deep and trust in God, then I know I can do it. I trust that He is going to be there for me and give me everything I need. It's incredible what resources we have, when we really look for them. Quite often we're not qualified, or we don't feel qualified or equipped for the things God asks us to do. That, I would say, has been true for me all of my life.

I became a Christian while I was at University and pretty soon afterwards I moved to London and had a job working for a charity, where I ended up preaching every week in a different church, in the Church of England. Now let me tell you - I'd only been a Christian nine, or 10 months and I didn't have a clue what I was doing! I remember turning up in the first week and the priest saying to me, 'Are you happy to help with the Eucharist?' and I was like, 'Yeah...sure! That's fine, I can do that!' Then halfway through the service I actually turned to him and said, 'So what is a Eucharist?'

It was one of those moments where I just knew I was not equipped for what I was doing, but I knew that if I asked enough questions and remained open to God, that He could use me. I laugh about that now, but every week I got more confident about what I was doing and developed the skills I needed to be able to function in that way.

I was married young and had children young and every time I'm asked to do something new, or write something new, or speak somewhere new, or maybe just build a new friendship, then that can feel really scary and make me feel really vulnerable. But I know that if I give it a go and step out of my comfort zone and use the courage that I know that is in me, then I have learned that my imagination is really my only limitation. I can get out there and have a go and sometimes make a difference that I wouldn't have ever thought possible.

Maybe all of us don't feel qualified. I think most of us deep down worry about what people will think of us, or whether we're going to be able to do things to the standard we'd like to be able to do them and many of us are perfectionists. I think girls, and women particularly, can be really hard on themselves. However, all we need to do is be honest about that and about our weaknesses and work on those things and be prepared to take a risk and step out of our comfort zone. We just need to say, 'I will get more confident about this', 'I will be able to dig deep. I know that where God has called me He will equip me. He will stand with me.'

Failure is ok, if it means I get stronger and more confident about what I'm doing. In the end it can make an incredible difference and I can see myself grow and see God use me.

For me the more I can do that and encourage other people to do that too, then really the more exciting life will be."