Labeling Our Action-Call as God's Call

 

Here is a great quote from George DeTellis Jr., from his book, Mending and Washing Your Nets:"

"Now I want you to be careful not to cook up some great vision for yourself, and then ask God to bless it the way you've scripted it. That's a mistake. For one thing, there are lots of turns in the path ahead for every one of us. For another thing, I have learned that the path to God's purpose begins with you and me--that is--with the work He needs to do in us, so His plan can be worked out through us."

I love the part about not asking God to bless a personal action-vision as we've scripted it. I would take it one step further and expand it to this:

To not ask God to bless a personal action-vision as we've scripted it and then claim, "this is God's call for me."

As Christians, we can choose to do whatever we want in our work and service. We can go where we would like to serve. There is nothing in the Bible that says we must label our doing as "a specific call of God." 

And when people do label it that way, I believe it is because of the environment of outspoken, public super-spirituality that permeates many churches and Christian communities, almost to a level of competition. 

But as the quote above so importantly points out:

God's "call" for each one of us is not what we do, but who we are as persons. 

copyright Barb Harwood