Your Calling

Everyone has things they are good at, things they do well. I can preach, I can swim and scuba dive, I can cook, I can run all of the electronics in my home, and I can do most basic home repairs (everything that doesn’t require so permit—and even a few things that do). I have a lot of experience and knowledge about child support enforcement. I have experience in teaching, in public speaking and in Microsoft Office products. At the same time there are thousands of things I cannot do—I can’t do surgery, I can’t read Arabic or Chinese, I can’t fly a plane, I can’t field dress a deer, and I can’t run a mile in less than 6 minutes. I also have very little experience in auto mechanics, sewing, and fishing. All of us have these lists. Things we can do, things we cannot do, things we are experienced in and things we know nothing about. It can feel quite uncomfortable trying to learn and do new things. Sometimes, it is this discomfort that prevents us from learning and doing new things—even new things in our Christian walk and our service to God. It is easy to rest in the comfort of what we know. Because of this, many times we as Christians fail to raise our hands and fail to step off of the sidelines. Instead of focusing on what God can do, all too often we focus on our own limitations, our own inexperience, and our own inability—we sit on our hands, we keep off the field, and we stay on the sidelines. 

Scripture, however, is very clear. Christianity is not a passive engagement. It is a call. Paul tells the Ephesians (Eph 4:1) to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.” He instructs Timothy (1 Tim 6:12) to “fight the good fight for the faith [and] take hold of eternal life, to which you were called.” Instead of sitting on our hands, off the field and on the sidelines, we should be saying, “Here am I, send me!” (Isa 6:8). You see, 7 years ago I could’t scuba; 10 years ago I had zero experience in child support; 20 years ago I couldn’t do hardly any home repairs; and 40 years ago I couldn’t swim. But, I kept jumping in the water, using tools, went through some training, and took a scuba class. Everyone can do something for God. Just showing up and practicing your smile may be just what someone else needs to see!