What's your calling?

I have called you by name, you are mine. It really is that simple. When God speaks in Isaiah 43, this is a statement of fact. We need not have any doubts, through all kinds of trial, we can be sure that God will be there alongside us. This is a great reassurance. There is more though, not only are we God’s children, but we are also his agents on Earth. He knows our innermost hearts better than we do and he gives us the challenge to discern what he had really called us to be. “Even before a word is on my tongue,O Lord, you know it completely. (Ps.139)”

We ALL have a calling, the first step is accepting the call to be a Christian, a follower of Christ. Even that isn’t simple though, to live your whole life as a Christian, at work, at home, at rest, at school, with friends, watching telly, driving, do we fulfil our Christian calling at every, single, opportunity? It’s unlikely, we are only human after all. We all make mistakes, sometimes we follow what we think is in our heart, not what God has put there. Sometimes we follow the crowd, take the easy path and fail to speak up when maybe we should, but do you know something amazing, God still loves us.

We have personal calling as a Christian, we also have callings in our lives. God has plans for us, just as he did for Jesus and the apostles, and he wants us to live out those callings to the best of our abilities. They can really very simple when written down like this this, sometimes your calling today is to give to charity, to speak to someone who is lonely or depressed, to visit someone in hospital or prison, to provide food to a homeless shelter or food bank. God calls us to do all these things and more. We can be called to be mothers, fathers, best friends, or to be available to a colleague just when they need to talk or need someone to stand up for them.

In our churches, we have all sorts of ways we can be called to do our bit. Whether it’s to cut the grass and rake the leaves, to clean the church, to serve coffee, to sing, to read, to do the administration, to maintain the building and keep it safe. These are all callings and they all contribute to building the Kingdom, they enable us to contribute and be a part of a worshipping community.

God also calls us as a body of people to meet him in the Eucharist, in the communion of saints. Here we can approach Jesus in a symbolic meal which has been celebrated ever since Jesus shared the meal with his disciples in the upper room.

There are times when we have a calling we can feel in our hearts but find it difficult to name. Then once named, difficult to share, but we shouldn’t let this stop us exploring. A new path isn’t always something to fear, but something to rejoice in provided it’s with God in our hearts and with Jesus by our side. God has his own timing, not ours, which can be easy to forget in this busy, ambitious world we live in.

The important thing here is to be open to God’s call, to listen. Why not try spending a few minutes in silence, or praying, taking to God about your life and where it may be heading. You may be surprised at what he says, you may already  be following his plan, or he may have other ideas which while they may be a bit scary, could actually take you on a new exciting journey. Go on, talk to Him, he’s waiting, patiently…

(First published in March 2014 St George & St Cyr's Parish Magazine)