A lot like Christ

The closest thing I’ve ever had to a ‘calling’ in my life was when, as a fledgling journalist, I realised I didn’t believe in a lot of what I wrote. It planted a seed in my mind that maybe I could use my writing skills to tell people about Jesus. I especially had a passion for young people (I was one in those days), and longed for an alternative to the worthless messages that shape so much of youth culture.

Then a friend asked if I would start up a Christian youth magazine with him. There was much hand-wringing during this time of my life. Others didn’t think it was a wise decison to leave my ‘real’ (paying) job for a ‘hare-brained scheme’ (non-paying job). ‘Was this what God wanted?’ ‘What if it didn’t work out?’ and even completely random questions like, ‘If I go into full-time ministry, will anyone want to marry me?’ came into my mind.

I waited for a Damascus Road experience that would tell me what I should do. But there was never any flash of light or audible voice of God, and I don’t recall any bout of blindness. In the end, I made my decision on this very dubious idea: I thought it sounded fun.

Since then, this simple mantra has become a touchstone for my decision-making: it sounds like fun. If it is ethical, will benefit others and is enjoyable to me, why wouldn’t God want that for me too? Our God is wild-hearted. He takes risks. He is on our side.

I think Dr Seuss said it best: You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. Only later did I come to think of my job as a ‘calling’, created out of choices that I had made because I wanted to serve God. (And it still seemed like a fun thing to do!)

In our culture, there is a lot of emphasis on discovering that exact thing that God has made us for. We want to find the perfect career, the right vocation, that special place in the universe where we belong. This is false thinking. In many parts of the world (and in parts of our culture too), people have little choice about what kind of job they do. They don’t have the luxury of career aspirations. But they are equally called by God.

We are all called to live as disciples of Jesus, imitating our master’s ways. In whatever job we do, we are called to work at it as if working for the Lord (Colossians 3:23). We are called to be compassionate, just, humble and kind. We are called to love others, as Christ loves us. We are called to have fun.

‘The glory of God is man fully alive,’ said St Irenaeus. We can only discover full life when we are living by God’s principles—so it’s essential that we ask ourselves whether we are in some way making God’s kingdom present among us. As we discover God’s ways in our lives, we become more alive to our true selves.

Our calling is not dependent on finding the perfect job, but on simply becoming the person God made us to be. And that will be a person who looks a lot like Christ.

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by Ingrid Barratt (c) 'War Cry' magazine, 29 November 2014, pp3.
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