God's Calling

“We often want to be called of God, then ushered painlessly into a position of service and honor, miraculously possessing the character our callings require. God doesn’t work that way. Our appointments are not about glamour. They’re about glory. God’s glory. – Beth Moore

Lately, I have been around some people who have been pretty negative about something they feel called to do. These have been different people in different situations but they all have been complaining. Complaining about the leadership they have been put under, complaining about choices that have been made, sometimes I believe complaining just for the sake of complaining. It worries me, especially when they are in the presence of people who need to hear the positive side about the church. Yet these people seem to have no filter. And they wonder why they aren’t in a leadership position – maybe its because you won’t let God get the glory out of it because you can’t take the focus off of you for just one minute and let it be on God. Take the leadership you have been placed under and learn from it, from the good and the bad, allow God to develop a godly character in you so that one day you will be able to fulfill the calling He places on your life the way He wants you to fulfill it – completely sold out to Him.

I also have people around me who are called to do something but they are afraid or unsure. Beth Moore used the above quote in reference to David when he was hiding in the wilderness from Saul. You don’t think he was scared? But God uses those moments to prepare us for the positions he wants to place us in. He uses those scary times to make us realize that we can count on him all the time, that He is never going to leave us. He is building character in us in those scary times when it seems no one there is to support us. So I say what are we waiting for? If you feel God is calling you to do something commit to it fully. Jump in!

I agree that God’s calling on our lives can be a scary thing to deal with but why would you want to run from it or to not enjoy it? Because I also believe that God’s calling is an amazing thing that can truly bring us closer to Him if we allow Him to move. But we can’t expect it to be an immediate reaction, we have to learn, to change, to be broken down and built back in His image, but what a remarkable experience that is. When you are able to say I don’t know how I do it but God just does it through me. That is when He gets the glory and isn’t that what we are living for?

Winter

Today in my way to avoid doing anything productive I decided to take a walk in the arboretum armed with my camera. This started as just a way to practice my photography skills which I know need a lot of work. But quickly this activity became more than just taking pictures. Alone in the snow and the beauty of all of this God quickly spoke to me. I was reflecting on Terry's sermon on Sunday (if you don't attend Breiel you can listen to the sermon here - http://www.breielchurch.org/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/applogic+ftcontentserver?pagename=faithhighway/10000/8000/154BR/scmedia&type=mediaplayer&loc=www.breielchurch.org/media/media/mediaplayer.php&id=2010021407023754F178if you are single I highly recommend it.)

My life hasn't always gone as I thought it should but today I was reminded that God has a plan. Just as I don't like all this snow but today I got lost in the beauty of it. And sometimes even when life seems as if its not going as it should we need to sit back and enjoy the beauty of life. We should take every season as it comes - the good and the bad. But be honest with God through it all - He longs to hear it from you. That is what I realized today as I walked through the snow and talked to God - He just wanted to hear it from me - all of it the good and the bad. And He wants to hear it from you too.

While I was walking today I looked at my feet which I couldn't see because they burried in the snow and I smiled because I thought - that is this season of my life. Fully in winter, for about seven years now. Life has seemed almost dead but I was reminded today that this season has a purpose too. God is preparing me for what the future holds but He is also making me beautiful in His eyes.

This has been another one of those rambling posts - but it was just so beautiful and I could just hear God speaking as I walked through the snow that I wanted to share it.

Church

Recently I was asked if it was wrong not to go to church. And while I managed an answer of no as long as you are having fellowship with other believers. Which is what I believe but I know that the person I was having this conversation with realized how stunned I was by the comment that they were no longer attending church and since then I have wrestled with why that stunned me before. I have never thought you had to go to church but I obviously have deep feelings for the church. And tonight I realized why



In the closing words of a prayer during small group I realized I have fallen in love with the people at my church. They have supported me in the good times and bad. They have prayed with me. And I have prayed for them. They have been my mentors and I have mentored some of them. Basically these people are family. I think it is more than what we would consider fellowship because I think of fellowship as hanging out with people but the people I feel this way about know the real me. They have seen me be myself, being truly honest in worship with God. And that is what I love about the people of the church, they let me be me.

So I agree that maybe you don't have to be in church. But I encourage you to make sure you have people you can be honest with. People who will know the real you. You need people you will challenge and people who will challenge you. That is what the Christian walk is about. Surrounding you with people who keep you going - how you do that is up to you.