I am working on a paper about calling. This is interesting because it is a topic that I actually have four blogs written about but not yet posted. In this realm, I am also working on an exegesis from the book of Jeremiah that has me writing on this same topic (and the summary of that will be shared when it is finished, followed then by the blog series). I hope you each join with me on that journey.
Calling is something that I think is very unique in both our secular and religious lives. It is not something we can prove but it is something we can have affirmed. And I think that is something to consider (note to self: use that distinction in the paper!). No-one can tell us we didn't feel the call, because they can't tell us what we feel. All others can do is pray for guidance for the called as they discern the way.
And then we come to the oft-quoted line: "God does not call the equipped but equips the called." (I should use that in my paper, too.) In the mountain church tradition that I'm writing about, this is believed adamantly. A preacher would be given the ability to interpret the word and would be given the word extemporaneously (aka: not prepared beforehand). If you prepared beforehand, you were cheating, and either weren't called, or didn't have enough faith to trust that God was going to give you the words to speak.
Interesting...
It's interesting that when you feel called to something, people like to point out the difficulties to you as if you don't realize them already. Callings are always meant to be easy. I mean, look at Isaiah (called to fail) and Jeremiah (called to bring the bad news). It's not an easy path. Hopefully, if you've been called to something, you realize that it's not easy, and that it doesn't happen overnight.
Interesting...
It's interesting that calling is a word that isn't just in our religious lives, but is used in our secular lives often as people try to figure out their vocational goals. Often you hear it in the terms, "I'm just meant to do this."
We are so fearfully and wonderfully made that our souls know what we're meant to do. That means pushing through the pain.
Let's talk about pain for a second. I've recently begun working out at a gym. For years, I confess, I've been scared to work out. Not because of how I looked, or what my fitness level was, or even of other people seeing me in the gym. I was scared because years ago, I was a compulsive exerciser (among other things). Whenever I would get on a kick to be healthy, I would scare myself out of doing too much because I didn't want to become that person again. I decided I needed to just get over that and do what's good for me. And of course, I realize that I do, indeed, still have a love of working out. I love feeling my body move in sync, and with a purpose. I love the feeling after I work out. If I didn't have school, work, and homework to keep me otherwise occupied, I could probably be there all day.
But that doesn't mean it's easy. You can ask one of my friends who went with me the other day. When things get tough, I have to sit there and push through it. If the resistance suddenly goes up on the machine I have to say "just keep going," or "you can do this!" I have to remember all the good with it. It is hard. It's meant to be hard. But I love it. I've never (in my entire life) left a work out wishing I hadn't done it. I've don't think I've ever actually gone to the gym with an attitude of not wanting to be doing that (maybe I don't like the environment, but I like the things I'd be doing)... Maybe that's a gift, or maybe it's a curse... but it's not easy.
I'm not going to say everything easy is bad, because it's not. We all have our gifts. Some people learn languages quickly, or can do math in their head like a wizard, or don't need the instructions to put together a bookshelf. Awesome. But not everything is easy. And I can almost guarantee that if you've been called to something long term, like, for life, then it's not going to be easy.
But we should remember that the best stories don't happen on the flatland with no obstacles, but come from the ups and downs and arounds of life.
Interesting...
