You ARE Called

Calling is a recurring theme in my life. I have blogged about it here, and you can find a sermon I’ve written about it here. It came up in conversation yesterday with a friend – so here I am blogging about it again because it’s on my mind… Warning, this is a longer post than usual – perhaps this will get it out of my system. (nah, probably not!)

Each of us is called to faith by God. We are called to live in relationship with God, and to live in relationship with one another. How we live – the things we do, the thoughts we live out, the actions we take – is our response to God’s call in our life. Calling is not something unique to only a special few. It’s not something that only the mystics or the “most spiritual” among us have.

You. ARE. Called.

Yes, calling is special – not because only a few are called. Calling is special because it is God who does the calling. So how we respond is important. How you live your life in relationship to God is important. And because each of us is uniquely made, the look, the feel of our calls may seem different because the outward way of relating may look different. But at its essence, our calls are the same – because they are from the One God.

Now, I realize this may not be the idea of “calling” that folks think of when they say someone is “called.” But it is the most important one – within it is the foundation of our living and our understanding of who we are in relation to others and the world because of our relationship with God.

I believe followers of God are the “called out ones.” It’s not that we are “special” or “chosen” and others are not – for God calls everyone. Some hear and are ready to respond; some hear and are not; and some are not aware that it is God they hear. No, everyone is special because each is created by God and called to God. What is different about being the “called out ones” is the lens through which we view life. When we have chosen to walk in awareness with God, we (hopefully) begin to view life and others as God does. We seek to see each person’s createdness in God, and we seek to respond with grace as God does. We have hope, because there is One who is working to bring about healing and wholeness. And we have purpose – to join God in working toward that end.

It is the last part – how I understand my purpose in living – that shapes the more common understanding of “call.” It is guided by our passion and giftedness, and where the needs of others tug at our heartstrings. Sometimes we seem to almost happen into a work that feels we are fulfilling how we are made. Often we doubt this as calling because it “comes too easily.” Other times we come to a place in our journey where we feel pulled or pushed into a new direction, a new way of work that feels we are fulfilling how we are made. Regardless of how it comes, what we do, how we live bringing healing and wholeness to life is our way of living out our calling in God. It appears in so many ways – being a parent, teacher, scientist, cashier, farmer, waste collector, lawyer… Sometimes we live it out better than at other times – that is, more closely in step with God’s purpose – but regardless of what it looks like, it is our way of fulfilling our called-out-ness in God.

The difficulty is, in part, that we often feel the need to compare ourselves with others – perhaps even taught by others to do so. (see “Being Akiba”) We compare our journey, our work, our relationship with God with what we see in someone else. … I see two immediate problems with that: I can only view another’s life from the outside, not the depth and breadth of their life as it is; and comparing with others creates a ranking of “good” and “better” that God does not have. How you live out your passion and giftedness is unique and wonderful – just as you are. Different is not a value, it is simply a fact – and something to celebrate.

So please, celebrate! Celebrate who you have been created to be – with your own unique blend of gifts and talents and passions. Celebrate that every other person is unique as well. Celebrate the opportunities you have to live out your uniqueness. Celebrate that you are called by God to live in relationship with God and with others, sharing God’s grace and working for God’s justice. Celebrate that every other person is called by God in this way, too. Celebrate the One who calls all of us, who knows each of us by name – and who loves and affirms you right now, exactly as you are. Celebrate.