God Can Even Use Leather Pants
Sometimes God brings a story full circle in a way you never could have imagined.
For me, it took 22 years.
And believe it or not, part of the story involves a pair of leather pants.
In 2004, I attended a Christian women’s conference that would become part of my story in ways I didn't understand at the time.
I remember watching these strong Christian women on stage.
And they were wearing leather pants.
That may not sound like a big deal today, but 22 years ago, seeing Christian women on stage wearing leather pants made an impression on me.
They were strong. They were confident. They were bold. And they loved Jesus.
As I sat there listening, I felt God place three things very clearly on my heart:
Write a book.
Speak.
And wear leather pants.
Yes. Leather pants. 😊
I didn't know why.
But I listened.
I went out and bought a pair.
At the time, I couldn't possibly have known what God would eventually do with any of those three things.
The book would take 18 years.
The speaking would unfold over time.
And the leather pants?
Only recently have I begun to understand that they were about more than I realized.
Twenty-Two Years Later
Fast forward to 2026.
I was sitting at the Surrounded Women’s Conference listening to Sheila Walsh speak when she said something that immediately caught my attention:
“We wore leather pants.”
Wait...WHAT?
Leather pants?
Suddenly, my mind went back 22 years.
And something began to click.
Those women had shown me that you could love Jesus and still bestrong, confident, bold, and brave.
I hadn't bought those leather pants thinking,I'm going to build my confidence.
I bought them because I believed God told me to.
But looking back now, I can see that they became one small part of building the confidence I would need for much bigger steps later in my life.
God can even use leather pants.
What seemed like such a small act of faith at the time became part of something much bigger that I couldn't yet see.
And now, 22 years later, God was bringing the story full circle.
I Got to Tell Her the Story
After Sheila spoke, I had the opportunity to talk with her.
I told her about that conference in 2004.
I told her about the three things I believed God had placed on my heart:
Write a book. Speak. Wear leather pants.
I told her how that experience had stayed with me all these years.
And then I got to show her something else.
The book.
Defying Fear.
The book God had placed on my heart 18 years earlier was now in my hands.
And then it was in Sheila's.
There I was, standing beside Sheila Walsh, wearing leather pants, holding the book God had told me to write all those years ago.
I couldn't have planned that moment if I tried.
But God wasn't finished bringing the story full circle.
Then I Went Home
After the conference, I started looking through some of the things I had saved from 2004.
I found a devotional I had purchased at that conference.
And there it was.
Sheila Walsh's name was on it as a contributor.
I just stared at it.
Twenty-two years later, another piece of the story had come together.
In 2004, Sheila didn't know me.
She didn't know what God was doing in my heart.
She didn't know that something she was part of would become one small piece of a much bigger journey in my life.
And she certainly couldn't have known that 22 years later, I would stand in front of her and place my own book in her hands.
But God knew.
The Getting Out of Your Own Way™ Principle
Never underestimate what God can do with one faithful step.
Sometimes we think getting out of our own way requires one enormous act of courage.
But that's not always how it happens.
Sometimes confidence is built one small step at a time.
You do something you weren't sure you could do.
Then you do something else.
You begin finding your voice.
You begin seeing yourself differently.
You begin recognizing what's been keeping you stuck.
And eventually, you may have the courage and clarity to take a step that once seemed impossible.
That's what those leather pants represent to me now.
Not the moment everything changed.
The beginning of building the confidence that helped me change.
I didn't understand why God told me to buy leather pants.
I certainly didn't know that one small act of faith would become part of building confidence in me that I would need for much bigger, life-changing decisions later.
Looking back, I can see how God used one step to prepare me for another.
And there's something else this experience reminded me:
We may never know the ripple effect of one faithful step.
Something you say may stay with someone for years.
A story you share may give someone courage.
A word of encouragement may come back to someone exactly when she needs it.
Your willingness to follow what God is asking you to do may influence someone you've never even met.
Sheila couldn't have known what God was doing in my heart in 2004.
Twenty-two years later, I had the privilege of telling her.
Your Next Step
Maybe God isn't asking you to wear leather pants. 😊
But maybe there is something He's been nudging you to do.
Maybe it's:
Making the phone call.
Starting the ministry.
Writing the book.
Having the difficult conversation.
Applying for the opportunity.
Taking better care of yourself.
Stepping outside your comfort zone.
Doing something you've been putting off because you're afraid of what other people might think.
You don't have to know where one step will lead.
You don't have to have everything figured out.
You don't have to wait until you're no longer afraid.
Don't let fear have the final word.
Take one faithful step today.
You never know what God may do with it.
"“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV
Reflection Question
What is one thing fear has been keeping you from doing that God may be asking you to take a step toward?
Take a moment to pray about it today.
Then ask yourself:
