Class Cheerleader (2 Corinthians 12:9)

I was the class president in eighth grade.

The unwritten rule, I later learned, was that the president was also the class cheerleader. That truth hit me the first day of football season. Our teachers announced that each class would compete to show the most school spirit, and all eyes turned toward me. I could lead a meeting. I could organize a fundraiser. But standing before a packed stadium—thousands of faces waiting for me to shout the first cheer—felt impossible. I wasn’t loud, athletic, or naturally outgoing. I wasn’t the “rah-rah” type. Yet when the moment came, I lifted my voice anyway—awkwardly, half-heartedly at first. The class joined in, and something unexpected happened: the sound wasn’t mine alone anymore. Their voices carried me.

That day, I learned that leadership isn’t about being the loudest. It’s about being willing—willing to stand in the awkward place between silence and courage, and to trust that others will find their voice too.

I didn’t realize then how often God would repeat that lesson. Years later, He would call me to lead again—teams of doctors, residents, staff, even my family—often when I felt least qualified or most unsure. Each time, the setting changed: a hospital boardroom, a lab facing closure, a family table during hard conversations, or now, a camera lens through which I share faith with the world.

The crowd is different, but the fear feels the same. And so does God’s whisper:

My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV)

Looking back, I see that God was preparing me—not for applause, but for obedience.

He was teaching me that leadership, in His kingdom, is never about performance. It’s about presence. Faith is saying yes, even when your voice trembles. Because the One who calls you will give you the courage to cheer when no one else will.

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

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