Seasons Change

**Part 5 of 5 on God's Call

I hate change.

Absolutely, positively, unequivocally hate change.

Did I mention I hate change?

Okay, I’m sure you get the point. I’m a creature of habit, to coin a cliché. And if I were of a mind to investigate the deeper reasons for my intense aversion to change, I’m sure I could come up with some deep psychological motivation.

A fear of abandonment maybe? An ongoing resistance resulting from the effects of an unstable childhood perhaps? Some deep psychic wound from early adolescence possibly? All very dramatic excuses, but probably inaccurate. Definitely unimportant.

The bottom line is, I simply like things to stay the same. I like feeling comfortable. The unexpected throws me. I like a plan, preferably one that’s been laid out well in advance and holds no detours.

Unfortunately, God rarely works that way, at least in my life. I cry out to Him for a clear, well established ten year plan. He tells me His word will be a light to direct my steps and a lamp to light my path (Psalm 119:105). I beg Him to show me the next step--and the one after that and the one after that--He tells me to trust Him, not to try to figure things out on my own, and promises He will give me the direction I need (Proverbs 3:5-6).

When God called me to serve Him as a teacher, I was okay with that. Yes, teaching can be tiring at times, but it's rewarding and stable. No surprises, a nice comfortable call I could settle into and enjoy.

But as God began to lead me to serve Him in new and different ways, I put up more than a little resistance. Doesn't Romans 11:29 say the "gifts and calling of God are irrevocable ?" And they are. It isn't that God changes His mind about how He wants us to serve Him; He may, however, change or expand the scope of the call for service He gives each one of us.

So how might a change or expansion in the call play out? It could be as simple as someone who's been called to teach first grade beginning to feel a yearning to shift to older students. Or it could as complex as a doctor answering the tug at his heart to close his successful practice, pack up his family, and devote his life to foreign missions. Or it could be as dramatic (and might I add painful) as a woman who's established and comfortable living out God's call being transitioned into a new and unexpected area of ministry.

Here's what we need to understand. We're God's vessels. We're the clay, and He's the potter (Isaiah 64:8). Nothing more. Nothing less. Our job is to stay open to His work, ready and willing to answer the call whereever it leads us . . . in whatever form it takes.

--Cheryl

What's God calling you to do?

**Part 2 of 5 on God's Call

I know, O LORD, that a man's way is not in himself,
Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.
--Jeremiah 10:23

Ask anybody who really knows me, and they'll tell you I like to argue. I prefer to call it "debating," but I won't burn up words quibbling over the difference. Except to say that . . . okay, never mind.

And considering my affinity for verbal sparring, it was no surprise to my family when I announced my intention of going to college, majoring in Pre-law, attending law school, and becoming the inspiration for the actors who play ADA's on Law and Order.

Everything was progressing smoothly. I was accepted to a prestigious pre-law program at a university up north. I participated in intern-like programs with a local attorney. I honed my argumentative skills by sharpening them continually (to the dismay of friends and family alike).

So imagine my surprise when I wound up at a small college twenty minutes from my house, enrolled in the English program. Perhaps "surprise" is not exactly the right word for what I felt at the time.

I was angry. Frustrated. Lost.

Everything I'd ever wanted for my life was crumbling around me. Sure, I could go to law school after I got my BA in English, but that wasn't part of the plan!!!

At least, not part of my plan.

Eight years, several rejections, tears, and laughs, later, I'm a published writer and novelist.

What happened to so totally derail and then realign my ambitions? God did.

I won't say his voice was accompanied by thunderclaps and lightening bolts. Because in truth, I wasn't even sure what I was hearing from him for some time. But I noticed a definite pattern going on. Things that Mandy wanted (without any input from God) always seemed to blow up in my face. Doors slammed shut on me. And my passion for law, something that had so defined me, slowly dwindled and disappeared completely. God was calling me to be a writer, not a lawyer.
So how do you know what God has called you to? How do you make the big, difficult decisions on what to do with your life?

The first is rather simple, but absolutely necessary. Pray. The second thing. Pray some more. I won’t insult your intelligence by telling you that the third thing is to pray after you’ve finished doing points one and two . . . although it’s sound advice.

Next, Listen. God promises he’ll direct our steps and give us guidance, if we allow him to. He doesn’t promise that he’ll clang a cymbal and do a drum roll before he speaks in order to get our attention. Let the prompting of the Holy Spirit cut through the fog and chatter of day to day life. If we’re so busy (as in my case) telling God what we’re going to do, then we aren’t being quiet enough to listen to what He has to say.

And practically, figure out what you’re good at. God is not going to call you to do something that you have no talent or ability to do. And if he does, well, I'm convinced He'll provide whatever you need to be successful in your call and bring Him glory. Think about what you enjoy, as well. Although, I’m sad to say that what you enjoy and what you're good at don’t always coincide. I’ve heard many a person who loved music but sounded like a dying cat when they sang. Like Tuesday night on American Idol. Ouch.

I could write an epistle on this topic. Figuring out God’s call (or calls) for your life can be a difficult thing. What I can say without any doubt, however, is that a foundation of communication is the most important component to unraveling the mystery. And if you’re call ends up not being what you expected . . . Don’t be surprised.

Be grateful.

--Mandy

What's the purpose?

*This post is the first in a five part series on God’s call on your life.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

I’m sure I’d read Jeremiah 29:11 hundreds of times before, but it didn’t take root in my heart until I came to understand that God has a call on my life, something He wants me to do, a specific plan He’s designed Himself.

I was beginning the last year of my Masters degree, graduation looming in the not too distant future. And I had no clue where I would work. My desire was to teach at my alma mater, a small liberal arts college with about 2500 students, but the English Department had no openings. My next best plan was to find a similar university and teach there. So I diligently checked job lists and sent my resume to several colleges, none of which had the decency to acknowledge my application with even a “thank you, but we’re not interested.”

When it was clear my plan wasn’t working, I decided to pray. Not that I thought my lack of employment mattered much to God when there were so many more important things—like healing the sick and saving the lost—for Him to concern Himself with. But desperate times call for desperate measures, so I plunged ahead with my prayers, all the time hoping the Lord wouldn’t be offended at my audacity in approaching Him for something so insignificant in comparison to the other things that required His attention.

One Sunday morning two months before graduation, I attended church as usual, but that was the only thing typical about the day. A guest evangelist preached on Jeremiah 28:11. I don’t recall the specifics, but I do remember his assurance that God has a plan for all of us. Something about that verse beckoned for my attention. I couldn’t wait to study the Scripture for myself.

I’d been a Christian for a number of years at this point, but I honestly never thought God might have something specifically planned for my life beyond being saved and living for Him. Never considered that He calls people other than pastors, evangelists, and missionaries to serve Him.

God thought about me? A revolutionary idea. He concerned Himself with my day-to-day existence?

I realized my focus was all wrong. Rather than worrying about employment, I needed to ask God what He was calling me to do. What were His thoughts for me? What was His plan? It wasn’t up to me to figure out what to do next. My job was to place myself squarely in the Lord’s care, to be still and listen as He revealed His purpose for my life.

Jeremiah 29:11 literally sets us free from worry over the future. If God has a plan, we don’t have to worry. We can trust that He will work out the details of our lives in His good time. That’s exactly what He did for me. First, God confirmed that He absolutely had called me to teach; that was His plan for my life. Then, He opened an amazing door that was well beyond anything I had hoped for. On a whim— a God moment?—I sent my resume to a large university and to my amazement was hired. It turned out to be the perfect place for me to begin my teaching career.

His plans for us are good— and they far exceed our imagination.

--Cheryl