> > I'm not familiar with what you mean by "being called". But it sounds > disturbingly similar to some things I've heard from religious nuts like > suicide bombers. In general, how is the call you are talking about to > be distinguished by the person "being called" from the call the suicide > bombers hear?
Part of the sense being called is seeing that something should be done by somebody. Another part is seeing that you are a very good candidate. Still another is testing one's call against the discernment of others. Prayer and contemplation is another. Thinking things through is yet another. They come together and solidify as a sense of being called to a purpose. Let me give you a few examples. Last August we were called to provide housing for a young woman from our church. She had a rough home life; her mom was a drug addict, and her father moved far away. She did remarkably well, all things considered. Unfortunately, during a rough period in her life, she stopped going to school and failed the semester. Then, she was kicked out of the house by her mom, and had to live in the used car her grandparents bought her. Our daughter, Beth, was about a month away from going away to college, so we would have the room to take her in. We knew of the need, and her mentor (who was her former teacher and is now the choir director at our church...and the reason she started coming to our church) asked us if we were willing. Obviously, there was risk involved, but we decided that if we were really Christian, we would need to take risks to help others. So far, its been a very worthwhile enterprise. The second example is my wife's opinion that I've been called to become a minister sometime in my life. I enjoy studying scripture; I enjoy theology. But, I don't see how I can really serve better than where I am. It seems as though I'd be one more second career person, where more first career people are needed. I don't think I have the patience or natural tendency to nurture that is required. So, I don't feel called there. Another part of understanding a call is doing a spiritual gifts inventory. This tends to focus on what you, and those who know you, see as your talents and gifts. This helps to understand where you are called. Other examples of calling can include being a physician. In the age of cynicism, its hard for many to believe that people can become physicians out of a perceived calling to heal others. One further point, I think that we all too often equate conviction with extremism and self-righteous wrongdoing. I am reminded of the quote from Yeats: <quote> Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. <end> The problem is twofold, not singular. Dan M. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
