THE CHALLENGE OF THE START

One of the other challenges we may need to overcome is a belief that unless we experience calling in a dramatic way, it is somehow not as valid, or genuine, or maybe it isn’t even a calling at all? Many ministers have asked themselves the question, “God – did you really call me?”

Perhaps you’ve heard testimonies of God calling people very clearly; they had a dramatic sense of call or an experience with God that left them with no doubt. That is wonderful! We celebrate those stories. But without reflection, these stories may leave us misguided in thinking that’s the only way calling occurs.

The encouraging news is that for the majority of time, and perhaps in the most frequent way, God calls us during the normal routines of our everyday lives. Consider the following examples.

• Joshua began his journey in a tent (Exo 33:11)

• David was in the fields minding his father’s sheep (1 Sam 16:11)

• Elisha was working on a farm (1 Kings 19:19)

• Peter was at work (Mark 1:16)

• Priscilla and Aquila were fleeing persecution (Acts 18:2).

All of these people were called or stepped into their calling during their normal, ordinary, daily routines. Yet, what happens next for each one of them is quite extraordinary, but their starting point wasn’t a burning bush, open-eyed visions, or angels descending from on high. They simply responded to what God was doing in that moment, and calling unfolded around them as a result.

Another interesting note is that they all followed God’s leading without knowing the end outcome or how it was exactly going to play out in their lives. It doesn’t matter how or where or when a calling comes into our lives; what matters is that we follow after it.