Today’s Readings: Psalm 109; Jonah 1:1-16; John 2:23-3:15; 1 Corinthians 3:10-17; Psalm 139
Over the years, I’ve found that many lay people have a huge misconception about those of us who are pastors. Most folks assume that the vast majority of us receive our calls very early in life and that we whole-heartedly embrace our calls from the moment we receive them. I have found that’s often not the case. While many of us do have a sense of call that emerges fairly early in our lives, many of us spend years doing every thing within our power to resist that call. And why is that? I suppose it has to do with sensing the magnitude of the call. That’s one reason I love the book of Jonah. It presents a realistic portrayal of an individual responding to his or her call. Of course pastors aren’t the only ones in life who receive calls. I believe that every person has a call. For some that call is to be a parent, for some it’s to be a doctor, and for others it’s to be an unpaid caregiver for a loved one... And many individuals unconsciously find themselves doing what we pastors do in response to our call – running away from them! Today, I would invite you to spend some time meditating on what you feel is your call. Once you’ve spent some time contemplating your call, pay attention to your first response to that call. If you find yourself starting to run, know that if it is truly your call – chances are things will work out: whether you cooperate initially or not. Til next time…
Over the years, I’ve found that many lay people have a huge misconception about those of us who are pastors. Most folks assume that the vast majority of us receive our calls very early in life and that we whole-heartedly embrace our calls from the moment we receive them. I have found that’s often not the case. While many of us do have a sense of call that emerges fairly early in our lives, many of us spend years doing every thing within our power to resist that call. And why is that? I suppose it has to do with sensing the magnitude of the call. That’s one reason I love the book of Jonah. It presents a realistic portrayal of an individual responding to his or her call. Of course pastors aren’t the only ones in life who receive calls. I believe that every person has a call. For some that call is to be a parent, for some it’s to be a doctor, and for others it’s to be an unpaid caregiver for a loved one... And many individuals unconsciously find themselves doing what we pastors do in response to our call – running away from them! Today, I would invite you to spend some time meditating on what you feel is your call. Once you’ve spent some time contemplating your call, pay attention to your first response to that call. If you find yourself starting to run, know that if it is truly your call – chances are things will work out: whether you cooperate initially or not. Til next time…
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