Sunday, January 21, 2007
I spent my afternoon at home, my other home: the Brown Library. It was in the 50s today and I was so excited. I'm a little tired of the cold weather. I've been thinking a lot lately about the calling and leading of God. I think about this a lot when it's time for a job search or life change. Does God really call us to certain places at certain times? Did God call me to Kansas City last summer or here to Abilene for the last two years? I believe God is capable of doing this, but does God actually do this? Perhaps God simply calls us to total surrender, and the places we live and work don't matter as much because our lives are surrendered to God. Do we make location and occupation decisions based on what we want, or does God place an actual calling in our hearts when we are trying to decide? I wish I had answers to this. Any thoughts out there?
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7 comments:
That's a very interesting thought, Sue. I thought that about New Zealand next summer, and being here in OKC... so I understand what you're thinking. That being said, I have no clue. Ha. I think both sometimes... I think God works where we're at and through our choices, but I think there are times where God specifically calls us. I can think of biblical instances for both. So I guess that sounds like a riding the fence sort of answer... but I think God works in lots of different ways. I'm rambling! I'm done!
When I said "New Zealand next summer" i meant "New Zealand this past summer"... just for clarification. haha
hey sue, you raise an interesting question. this is something i've thought about off and on for a while now, and so far i've sort of come to a conclusion similar to some of your sentiments and those of eryen.
i think you are right when you say that God calls us to total surrender - if he calls us nowhere else, he still calls us to total surrender of self to him. but perhaps as we live surrendered lives, we will make decisions that are Theocentric, rather than egocentric. perhaps we will better see the hand of God in our lives, or better see the need for God's love in the people and situations around us.
do i believe God could clearly and specifically call a person to a specific task or location? absolutely. but i think more commonly he calls us to strive to live surrendered lives where we are. and when we do that, i think we are in the "place" where God wants us to be.
sorry this is so long. this topic is of great interest to me.
hang in there. i hope you are doing well.
What I think really goes a lot with what has already been said. I believe that if there is a need somewhere God could absolutely call you somewhere, but at the same time as we are surrendered to Christ how can we not go where glory will be given to Him. I think too often people to confuse a calling with their purpose, which is simply to live in Christ.
And see you at Follies?
Crysty
Hey Sue...I was stopping by. I find your blog so entertaining. I thought the question you asked was great, and something I struggle with daily! Sometimes I wonder if when we think we are "destined" for something or some place in your case, and we feel that it is a calling by God, that sometimes that is our human way of making ourselves feel better and more justified in our decisions. I do believe God calls us, but I think you said it right when he calls us to total surrender. And I think eryen said it right...that there are times when God does call us specifically. But you know, he's God, he can do whatever he wants...so who really knows!
I thought if i gave myself a little time to think about this that I could come back here with a brilliant answer for you. I was wrong. I am still just as confused as ever about how I feel about this. I think basically what everyone (and you) said I agree with, though. I have nothing interesting to add, I guess.
Although I must say that after following what I believed to be "a calling" - and now not really doing what we originally set out to do here ... I have been curious about the way God works. Do you think he gives you a "calling" he knows you will follow (so that he can bless you in other unexpected ways) because he didn't figure you'd follow the "real calling" he wanted to give you? Does that make any sense? In other words, do you think we would have moved to Oregon if he would have told us the ways we would be blessed after we got here? Thinking about it, I'm not sure that would have been enough to get me in a moving van ... even though I sure am glad this is a path we ended up on. Do you think he knew that we wouldn't go and so set a different "calling" in our hearts that WOULD make us get in a moving van? Or are we simply being blessed in the midst of things because we are TRYING (not perfectly) to surrender all our pre-conceived notions of what we were supposed to do here. Maybe he works with where we are at the time in our lives (our ability to surrender however much of ourselves that we can at that point) and just asks for a little faithfulness on our part - just as much as we can handle ... making up the difference if we can't be as faithful as we "need to be" at the 'moment' he calls us.
I realize i am rambling ... I just think about this so often. It has been a long journey, but I finally feel okay about where we are - in spite of my preconceived notions about what it "should have" looked like at any one point in this process. I think it is possible that sometimes we just put too much pressure on ourselves.
I really like what kentbrantly had to say ... :) Perhaps I should have just said "ditto"?!
ooo - that was REALLY LONG ... sorry! :)
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