Called

How cool it must be to know that what you're doing is truly your calling.

I'm not just talking about your job. And I'm not talking about your particular service project or group, either. I'm talking about all the things you do that make you who you are. Some call it vocation. I think that your vocation is where what you really love and are passionate about meets and fulfills a need that the world has. I've also heard it called your "perfection". When you begin to wrap yourself around the thing that God made you to do, the feeling is so perfect, you can't imagine it any other way. Sound cool? It probably is. I can't tell you honestly how that feels because I'm not currently in that situation. I'm still imperfect. I'm still watching, waiting, wondering when my perfection will find me. I suppose that's part of the problem. Maybe that's the whole problem.

I consider myself to be pretty cautious when it comes to my employment and the activities on which I choose to spend my time. My hobbies are "safe" for the most part. My life is pretty quiet and uneventful. Not boring, just uneventful. I haven't taken many chances in life, on jobs, or in relationships. So I'm the one that sits and wonders what it must be like to have the courage to shed the norm, close my eyes, and let God take me to my perfection. Life on Earth will not cease to happen if I never find that perfection. But I also think that if I don't find it, it will go undone. Someone else might do something similar, but never the exact same perfection as the one set aside for me. I'm not much on assuming that if I don't do it, someone else will. It's not like taking out the garbage.


The problem I see more often (now that everyone is becoming so interested in God's plan for them) occurs, as usual, when we get in the way of said plan. What I mean is......many among us have these really strong desires to do certain things in our lives or with our lives. And quite often, opportunities present themselves that allow those desires to manifest. I think the trap is that it's so easy for us to say "well, I want to do it, and now I'm able to do it, so it must be God's will for me to do it". I could be wrong, but doesn't Satan make it pretty easy to do the wrong things, just as God can remove obstacles that prevent us from doing right? My struggle with my search for my "perfection" is that I can't tell if what I'm feeling is truly the voice of God moving me in a certain direction or if my own will is convincing me that it's the right thing because I think it's what I want to do. I don't trust my feelings all the time. They've gotten me into trouble often enough that I'm a little skeptical.

I know without asking that my pastors would undoubtedly recommend that I pray on this matter and listen closely for God's answer. That's very sound advice for making any decision. It's also what I'm currently doing. I know that the answer will come. As I've written before, God has been in control of my life since before I realized it. I don't doubt that He has a plan for me. Nor do I doubt that His plan involves some truly amazing things. I'm just really anxious for the day to come when I know that what I'm doing is the one thing that He set aside just for me to do.

I know I'm called. And I know I'm called to do good for the Kingdom of God. Right now, however, it feels somewhat like getting a phone call where the caller says "Mike? Yeah, it's me. I need you to go over there right away. I have a very big project going and there's one part of it that I need you to help with. Thanks, Bye". You think you recognize the voice, but not for sure. You also have no idea where "over there" is. You know what the "big project" is, but you don't know what could possibly require your help. And the caller hangs up before you can get any more information. You just know that someone out there is waiting on you and counting on you. All you can do is hope that they call back or that you somehow fill in those blanks correctly.

Called. We're all called. If you've found your perfection, I hope you realize how big of a blessing God has given you. If you're still not sure....if you're still waiting and watching like me....don't give up hope. There are plenty of things that need to be done for the Kingdom in the meantime that aren't necessarily set aside just for you. I feel that by regularly engaging those things, I might be helping myself to better understand the more "Mike-specific" things that lie ahead.

Peace,

Mike