A Servant's Heart

Do you know why I love serving? Not once has anyone ever asked me if I was qualified – they’ve only asked if I was willing. In my three years I’ve spent serving with the production team, I’ve learned that one thing you’ll never regret investing in is people. 

In 2018, I came to Wilmington to stay for only three weeks in the summer. However, those three weeks turned into three years, and what I didn’t know was how much God would shape my life within that time.

If you knew me then, I kept a very tight grip over my life. At twenty-three years old, I had a five-year plan ready to go…no room for error. I used to truly believe that, to obtain anything in life, you had to be qualified for it. That meant working, studying, or practicing for something and then someone deeming it “good enough”. That’s how I lived my life. I always made sure I was prepared. I made sure I got the grades, the degrees, the internships, and that I connected myself with all the right people. I had set myself up to be successful and I had no doubt in my mind that I wouldn’t be. That is, until I hit my season of rejections.

For three years, I went through seasons of rejection letters, calls, and emails, and what they all had in common was the word “qualified” or “qualification.” I never met the people behind them, and I never understood why. I even remember responding to an email saying “If I could just get a chance…,” but the answer was still no. It came to a point where I had lost all confidence in myself. I would always ask God, “Where did I go wrong?” Or, “How can I fix it?” But when I look back on the last three years, I realized I wasn’t being rejected – God was re-posturing me. 

During the second year, I felt completely worthless. I had no direction in what I was doing, and I felt like I was just going through the motions of life. I remember meeting with my mentor that year and just explaining to her what I was feeling. And then she asked me how I got into serving and why I serve with the production team. It was completely off topic, but I told her.

I saw a person with a camera capturing moments of worship, and I instantly knew I wanted to do that. I told her that I love serving; I love learning how to capture parts of worship; I love being part of something that is working for God’s kingdom; and I love being a part of a team that is so patient and gives so much grace and encouragement that when I leave, I feel so filled with God’s presence. 

And I remember her saying “Sara, I have known you for five years now, and not one time have I ever heard you say anything about holding a camera. You’re not qualified to do that, but you’re willing, and that’s all that God asks from you. He doesn’t look at your resume, He looks at your heart; and that is all He wants.” 

I then came to learn that God is specific in giving you what you need (even when you don’t think you need it) versus what you want. He is specific in placing you where you need to be versus where you want to go. And God placed me with the production team. The three years of what I thought was “rejection” were actually three years of finding new passion, of learning, of giving myself so much grace, and of being poured into with so many words of encouragement from an incredible team.

When I think about the production team, the verse that comes to mind is…

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Hebrews 10:24-25

I realized the encouragement and growth we need to go through this life will always come from God, which will come through his people. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to serve alongside God's servants, who have shaped and impacted my life in ways they couldn’t even imagine. Being part of production, I learned to re-posture my heart as a servant of God and to do all works for His glory. For that, I am a better learner; a better listener; a better employee; a better friend; a better sister; a better daughter.

Today, I chuckle at my twenty-three-year-old self and the audacity I had to think that this was up to me – that I could have forged my own path and end up exactly where I am today. Because, if I’m being honest (and had I been given the option with the cards of my future laid out in front of me), I wouldn’t have chosen this life. I think that’s the most interesting part about surrendering to the will of God. We can either choose to go our own way and try to make our lives line up exactly with what we had pictured in our heads and live with constant disappointment…or we can give up control to Him and realize that the plan He’s outlined for our life is immeasurably more fruitful and fulfilling than anything we would have picked ourselves.

Now, I am able to sit still, grateful to God for choosing me to live out this life, in this way, with these amazing people, in this moment of time, with this church, in this city. I am blessed to be where my feet are.

Sara Hue

Sara has been a consistent presence on our video team for three years, serving both on Sundays and at Overflow (our college ministry). Sara is one of the kindest and most teachable people we know. Her posture and personality have been instrumental in helping us create a culture that is Jesus-centered and others-focused. She has a desire to learn new things and she always has a smile on her face, creating a welcoming presence to others on the team. We are sad to lose Sara as a part of our community as it is time for her to move away from Wilmington, but we are also excited to see what God has next for her and for her opportunity for new adventures. And yes, she if very qualified to run a camera! – The Learning Together Team