Intentional Growth PT-whatever

What are we waiting for? Or, a better question- what exactly is hindering you and me? What constrains us from a greater participation in God's work?

Here at the hospital, many people ask me about my "calling". How did you know you were "called" to be a chaplain? Isn't it great to know your "calling"? Etc. Personally, I am not a big fan of "calling" talk. I am not criticizing anyone who would sincerely speak of being called. I acknowledge that Scripture speaks of calling. However, the "calling" metaphor, like all metaphors, highlights some aspects of a concept and hides others.

The calling metaphor highlights our need for direction from God. That, of course, is a good thing. It is God's great work of redemption, of righteousness and justice, of which we are both beneficiaries and agents. Calling suggests that God is orchestrating the events of his kingdom, positioning you and me in our appropriate place to best serve. Calling suggests we, as servants of God, possess assurance and peace with our role and degree of efficacy.

The calling metaphor hides the intense, deeply personal challenge within. As I write this, I am sitting beside a phone. There is nothing I can do to make you call me. I simply wait for the surprising pleasure of your call. Calling justifies my passive waiting for the activity of God.

In my own life, I cannot recall ever receiving foreknowledge about what to do or where to go. I have always felt that I am moving through fog, struggling with sin, weakness, doubt, fear, while simultaneously being stimulated by hope, possibility, glory, and challenge. An enduring sense of assurance that I am doing just the right thing has been elusive. Rarely, have I possessed a substantial sense of efficacy about the work of my life.

The impetus in my walk with the Lord has not been some call from without, but rather a driving force that emerges from within. The work that God is doing in my own heart is a microcosm of the work He is doing in the world at large. If I passively ignore the challenge within, why should I think God would choose me for the work without? I believe God has called me. He has called me to take on the challenges, with faith that He will see me through. If anything great will come of my life, it will be the by-product of God's grace sheltering me as I wrestle tenaciously with the challenges (especially those within).

I am writing from a personal perspective. I do not intend to suggest that Christianity is simply a matter of individuals fighting their respective wars within. We are called to be a body, an interrelated group of believers, empowered by the mighty Spirit of God. We, as members of the Sunshine Church of Christ, must shirk-off notions of having arrived, and together take up the great challenges. The greatness of our congregation will be a by-product of our tenacious struggle with the challenges before us.

Challenge #1: We must learn to pray together. (We must learn the raw power of prayer.)
Challenge #2: Figure out the difference between institutional maintenance vs. being driven by God's purpose.

Larry James is a wrestler-- for instance