Direction

As I walked into the office Tuesday morning and turned my calendar I realized that this week I will have officially been at Trinity for one year.  One year has gone by fast, and as I sat thinking about the last year, I reflected upon the process of receiving the call to come to Trinity.  I thought about why I believed that Trinity was a fit for me and Amy, but also why the church thought that I would be a fit to be the next pastor here.  As I reflected on the call and the reasons that I felt called and was called to this place, I wondered to myself, am I living into that?  Am I fulfilling the call I was given by God to come to Trinity?  I was called here with a purpose, and I took sometime this week to reflect on that call on my life.

I am sure as many of you read this; you could understand the importance of a call giving direction and guidance to the life of someone in ministry.  God’s call gives direction in ministry about where to go, what do to, and how to do it.  But for many, a call giving direction and meaning to their life and work is simply something that pastors and others who work in ministry have.  Yet we hear these words from 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”  God’s call does not just extend to pastors, or those working in ministry, but to all his church both corporately and individually.

Take some time to prayerfully consider your call and role in your life and here at Trinity, but also in your family, workplace, and with friends.  God has gifted and called each of us with a purpose, so are we living into that call?  God doesn’t call his people to sit on the sidelines, to but to have a purpose, a role, a use for their gifts and skills.  To pray, to preach, to cook, to dance, to support, to fold bulletins, and more.  Are we living into the call that God has placed on our lives?  Some people struggle with the idea they are called, and believe that God has left the heavy lifting for someone more qualified; more educated, more worthy, more something.  Yet scripture tells us that we are all are called to God’s service, we all have gifts, talents, and life experience to build up the body of Christ, and to help God’s people to grow and be fed.

Are we fulfilling the call that God has placed on our lives?  How we best encourage and empower one another to fulfill the call that God has given to each of us?  Because, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” (1 Corinthians 12:26, TNIV