Who Are You Called to Be?

Piece by piece I wade through piles of paper. It is amazing how much stuff I have collected with years of teaching. The task of sorting through mounds of lessons plans and activity pages makes my brain tired. How do I prioritize? Some choices are easy – like ditching old curriculum. Other choices not so much. As I look through some materials, I envision the plans I had to use all these things – grand ideas of what I was going to do as a teacher.

Part of my choices as to what to keep center on what kind of teacher I am now. I need to consider what I am called to do and what materials I need to best meet that objective. As I have grown in my profession, so have my preferences for what I need to use to teach to the best of my ability.

Life gets like my storage room. We start with something simple, but bit by bit we add various pieces creating a much larger issue. We may clean some things out but then we easily add more things in. Things get convoluted as too many outside influences tamper with our well-being and priorities.

There is much talk in today’s world about minimalist living and simplifying. These are definitely worthy goals in our society that values having a lot of “stuff”. Cleaning closets and organizing drawers certainly help with this philosophy. But how do we do this as Christians when it comes to what is or isn’t part of the life we lead?

In his book Simplify, Bill Hybels says the following: “Simplified living is about more than doing less. It’s being who God called us to be, with a wholehearted, single-minded focus. It’s walking away from innumerable lesser opportunities in favour of the few to which we’ve been called and for which we’ve been created.”

Just like my teaching identity has changed over the years as I have tried out different methods and philosophies and landed on what works for me; so, it is with us as believers. We grow and change, not only physically, but also spiritually, mentally and emotionally. In this process, God calls to us and directs us to where we should go. Sometimes it is a long-term calling, sometimes not.

That brings to mind one of my most favourite Scripture verses:

“We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10 NIV)

Let’s look at the end of Bill’s quote and the verse from Ephesians. Both speak of how God has designed each of us with particular gifts. God gives us these gifts with a particular calling and a plan on how to use them.

I know that God has given me some particular gifts; teaching and writing come to mind. What I haven’t considered is how I have let the “innumerable lesser opportunities” take over and interfere with pursuing what I know to be my calling in these two areas. I like Hybel’s words – he suggests we walk away from these interferences. Not just say no, but remove ourselves from the opportunity. The devil sure likes us to see us have so many opportunities to serve that we run around in a crazed fashion trying to keep up with it all and in the process ending up ineffectual. How many times have I tried to let something go or only involve myself part way and instead get tugged totally into the time draining activity? More times than I care to admit.

Over and over in his book, Hybels asks the question, “who is God calling you to be?” Not what should be on your to do list or who you should go out and help; but instead defining who we are in Christ. My callings of writing and teaching take on a whole new perspective when I consider them in the light of who God is calling me to be.

Having a “wholehearted, single-minded focus” is essential in world that would like to see us fracture our time with too many irons in the fire.

For me, personally, I am really taking time this summer to re-evaluate my priorities and to consider what God is actually calling me to do and not what I think that is. It is a time of searching God’s Word for His input and listening to that still, small voice of His that directs our paths.

I hope and pray that you will find your way and celebrate the wonderful calling that God gives just to you. May you rest in His mercy and grace and trust that He will do wondrous things in you and through you.

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