I am privileged to meet with a group of area clergy (male and female) on a monthly basis in one of our local coffee shops. The conversation is always stimulating, and recently, got especially interesting via our reading of a book together, "Joshua and the Shepherd" (1990, Joseph Girzone).
The question that consumed us on a particular Thursday morning was not an expressly "religious" question (meaning applicable only to clergy) but is rooted in how we perceive and understand God. Because of a struggle in a main character in our book, we began to wrestle with this question: Does God always gift a person to do a particular vocation to which He calls them?
At a pastoral level, a real-life example might be, "Would God call a person to be a minister and grant them no social skills?" Or, "Would God call a person to be a pastor and grant them no gifts of communication?" Or how about this one: "Would God call a person to priesthood and not grant them the gift of celibacy?" Boy, did it get animated!
At a non-pastoral level, it might look more like this: "Would God call you to be a teacher and give you no communication gifts?" Or, "Would God call you to be an engineer and grant you no perceptional/visualization gifts?" Or, "Would God call you to be an artist and grant you no creative gifts?" Our conclusion? We haven't arrived at one yet! What do you think?
I'm kind of in the middle on this one. Personally, I believe that what God calls you to, He equips you for. But, where I might differ from some is whether or not He always gifts you for it. Our world is filled with people who were not gifted, but became remarkable because of an immense amount of study, preparation and hard work in an area that intrigued or compelled them.
What I also believe is that if God calls you to some particular thing, He may gift you for it, He may wire you for it, or He may grant the grace and strength to develop whatever it takes to fulfill that calling. For some, it may appear to come easily (doing what they're called to do). For others, they may have an inescapable compulsion to pursue a calling largely foreign to them. And for yet others, the calling may be so clear to them that they will forsake all else and give everything to become what is needed to fulfill it - no matter how hard or challenging the route may be.
What I know, is that no matter what God has called you to, the most important thing in the world is for you to do it - no matter what it takes. I grew up being told, "If God calls you to be a pastor, don't stoop to be a king," but I believe equally, "If God calls you to be a ________ (fill in the blank), don't stoop to be a pastor." If God calls you, to quote an overused but accurate phrase, "JUST DO IT!" You'll never regret living life His way!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Keepers
I have a friend named Carl who loves to look for rocks. Not just any old rocks, mind you, but exceptional rocks - rocks that catch the eye because of their shape, color, structure or sparkle. Most any day that it's not raining (which recently, hasn't been that often), you'll find Carl outside, patiently going over the tens of thousands of rocks that can be found outside his retirement community. Like clockwork, when Carl's been looking, I know that I'll be seeing his latest finds!
One thing about hunting for "keepers" - rocks that he's going to take to his room - is that it takes a lot of time. Finding "keepers" is not something you do in 5 minutes a day, and frequently takes you back over the same ground you covered not more than a few days ago, for you just don't know what you might have missed!
It occurred to me this morning that Carl's looking for "keepers" is a lot like our reading of God's Word (something I hope you do on a regular basis): to find God's "keepers" (truths that touch our hearts, minds and lives) takes more than 5 minutes a day - it takes looking often and persistently. It also frequently takes us over "ground" we've covered before. Another friend of mine stated just yesterday how amazed he is that no matter how often he reads his Bible, he finds something new every time!
Now, this taking of time and devoting it to finding God's "keepers" goes against the fast-paced lifestyles that most of us lead. Like a driver who, because he is always in a hurry to get to his next destination, never fills up his gas tank but puts in just $5 worth of gas every time, it can be easy for us to do the same, spiritually speaking, and never really "fill 'er up." Problem is, he's always worried about running out of gas!
If you're not doing so already, I want to challenge you to take your 5 minutes in God's Word and double it...at least. Use this expanded opportunity to "fill 'er up" and I believe that your discovery of "keepers" will increase exponentially. Plus, you won't ever have to worry about running out of "gas" (God's strength & peace).
And once you find some "keepers," I'd love to hear about them! Matter of fact, I'm betting that once you've found them, like Carl, you won't be able to not talk about them and show them to others!
One thing about hunting for "keepers" - rocks that he's going to take to his room - is that it takes a lot of time. Finding "keepers" is not something you do in 5 minutes a day, and frequently takes you back over the same ground you covered not more than a few days ago, for you just don't know what you might have missed!
It occurred to me this morning that Carl's looking for "keepers" is a lot like our reading of God's Word (something I hope you do on a regular basis): to find God's "keepers" (truths that touch our hearts, minds and lives) takes more than 5 minutes a day - it takes looking often and persistently. It also frequently takes us over "ground" we've covered before. Another friend of mine stated just yesterday how amazed he is that no matter how often he reads his Bible, he finds something new every time!
Now, this taking of time and devoting it to finding God's "keepers" goes against the fast-paced lifestyles that most of us lead. Like a driver who, because he is always in a hurry to get to his next destination, never fills up his gas tank but puts in just $5 worth of gas every time, it can be easy for us to do the same, spiritually speaking, and never really "fill 'er up." Problem is, he's always worried about running out of gas!
If you're not doing so already, I want to challenge you to take your 5 minutes in God's Word and double it...at least. Use this expanded opportunity to "fill 'er up" and I believe that your discovery of "keepers" will increase exponentially. Plus, you won't ever have to worry about running out of "gas" (God's strength & peace).
And once you find some "keepers," I'd love to hear about them! Matter of fact, I'm betting that once you've found them, like Carl, you won't be able to not talk about them and show them to others!
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