General practitioners (GPs) treat all common medical conditions and refer patients to hospitals and other medical services for urgent and specialist treatment. They focus on the health of the whole person combining physical, psychological and social aspects of care.

I stepped into the Clubhouse hallway a little over two weeks ago. If you do not know about Clubhouse, it is a new social media platform where individuals can talk to one another but you only see their pictures. It’s like Zoom on audio only. Picture a huge conference venue where you walk down halls and there are rooms labeled with different topics from the secular to the spiritual.

When I stepped into that virtual hallway, I was a bit overwhelmed about which room I should choose. I decided to choose rooms based on that room’s title. Once in the room, as the conversation flowed between participants already in the room, I virtually raised my hand to share my thoughts on the subject. I spoke, then muted myself to listen to the thoughts of the other speakers. I soon realized I was in a room full of professional musicians and producers, individuals who have worked with big name celebrities in that industry. I immediately wondered, “Why am I in this room, Lord. I am not a professional musician,” so to make a connection, I name dropped my daughters who are in the industry and some people in the room knew who they were. Voila, I’m now Mama D! God has jokes but that’s another story.

When I visited rooms, I would stay and listen in some, share my thoughts in some, and in others I would quietly enter and quickly exit. As I began to get the lay of land, I began to realize something; these individuals, most of them much younger than I am, are specialists in their fields, have zeroed in on their gifts and are flourishing in those chosen fields as creatives, artists, entrepreneurs. They are confident in their call and are not afraid to toot their own horn.

This realization raised some insecurities in me. I do not have a speciality. I do not have that one story that shakes the souls of people. I have no traumatic experience that would draw people to my story. Though I have gone through a lot of ups and downs in my life, I share those stories I do have when God says “Now!”

When I did share my thoughts and insights in rooms, it often felt like I was heard and not heard. Many times, while what I said would be acknowledged, someone could come right behind me and rephrase what I had just said and receive a greater response.

What?

Yep, Clubhouse stirred up all kinds of insecurities in me. I began to feel peripheral to the experience, invisible and muted even as I continued to share in different rooms. In my uncertainty about my place and my voice in Clubhouse, I began to ask God about the “why” of my being a part of this new platform.

I need to be clear, though, because I do not want anyone to think I was totally shunned. In what are now familiar rooms and clubhouses, I am greeted either as Mama Donna or Mama D. I went into one room where I was not following anyone and they were not following me. Yet, when I walked into the room, I was immediately brought up to the platform. I was confused because who “knew” me in that room? Then, whoever called me up also asked me, specifically, to pray for an individual who had just shared their story. I responded in wonderment as to what was going on.

Another young man shared his story. His connection was not a good connection and I only half listened as he spoke. Again, because of something she saw in my profile, the same woman asked me to pray for that young man and I did pray, trusting God to give me the right words that would link to his story, still wondering about this new space. It turns out that I was in a room of young people, most of whom are in Nigeria, another one of God’s “What!” moments.

Still, in spite of those mind blowing moments, I still could not figure out my place in that “place.” Does my voice even have a purpose in that place?

God spoke and this is how the conversation went:

“Donna, do you have an orthopedist?”

Yes.

“What is his function.”

He deals with issues of the bones, joints.

“Do you have a dentist?”

Yes.

“Her function?”

Issues with teeth and gums.

“Do you have an optometrist?”

Yes. Vision and glasses (I’m beginning to get the drift of this conversation).

“Do you have an ophthalmologist?”

Yes. Disease an issues with the eyes.

“How about an OB-GYN?”

No longer needed, but I do get mammograms.

“Do you have a general practitioner?”

Yes. She checks out all of me, from head to toe. I bring the concerns, she listens and responds based on her expertise and experience.

“When she discovers something that needs a little more specialized care, she sends you to a specialist?”

Yes.

“Here’s the thing, Donna, these individuals you’ve seen and heard in the Clubhouse, they are all specialists, genuine and assumed. The people you have encountered in Clubhouse are specialists, specific stories for specific people. But you, Donna, are not a specialist in that place in my call; you are a General Practitioner. I have called you to be able to address whatever is happening with a person in a specific moment and conversation. Do not question the space that I have created for you; this is my purpose for you and as the Holy Spirit prompts you, you will refer them to that specialist in whom you have God-confidence. But, always remember, I am the Ultimate Specialist. I must always be your first referral!”

It is an amazing revelation. I am God’s General Practitioner called for such a time as this. I never would have thought of myself in that way, especially in a world where titles are the end-all for a lot of people.

There will still be moments when I will falter and shrink back because of those insecurities that still try to take control of my mind, my will and my emotions.

There’s an old song, “When He calls me, I will answer. I’ll be somewhere listening for my name” … as His General Practitioner.