I don’t mean to be morbid here but I have realized that at this stage of my life, I am closer to the end of it than I am to the beginning. I'm already on the other side of the hill. The end is coming for us all. I know it's not encouraging but that’s the reality.
The Bible compares our life to a vapor. It's here for a short time and then it's gone. As I am in the home stretch of my life I often wonder if I have done enough. I don’t think any of us are totally confident that we have.
Someone once said that on our tombstone has a birth date and date of our death and a dash in the middle. What are we doing with the dash?
I wasted a lot of my life being unhappy and frustrated in trying to find my life’s purpose. It took way too long to get past all of that. For many of those years I was pressured to discover my calling or ministry. That's what we were taught in church. We were taught that God had a calling on our lives. We were all thinking it was some kind of ministry. It was a divine secret that we were supposed to seek out. It was that ONE thing that we were supposed to do for the rest of our lives. Let me tell you a secret...there isn't a secret. It isn't like Indiana Jones seeking a precious treasure that is difficult to obtain. The secret - my friends - is that we are to serve God and live our lives and it will unfold for us. I used to think it was something of awe or mystical. That idea frustrated me for a long time. With my father and grandfather being preachers, I felt the expectation that I had to follow suit. I did try that path. I was given a few opportunities to preach and I failed miserably because it didn't flow. I knew it wasn't me. That's not who I am and God never empowered me to do that. I floundered for a long time trying to figure it out. I went from youth ministry to media ministry and none of that was God's plan.
I wasted a lot of my life being unhappy and frustrated in trying to find my life’s purpose. It took way too long to get past all of that. For many of those years I was pressured to discover my calling or ministry. That's what we were taught in church. We were taught that God had a calling on our lives. We were all thinking it was some kind of ministry. It was a divine secret that we were supposed to seek out. It was that ONE thing that we were supposed to do for the rest of our lives. Let me tell you a secret...there isn't a secret. It isn't like Indiana Jones seeking a precious treasure that is difficult to obtain. The secret - my friends - is that we are to serve God and live our lives and it will unfold for us. I used to think it was something of awe or mystical. That idea frustrated me for a long time. With my father and grandfather being preachers, I felt the expectation that I had to follow suit. I did try that path. I was given a few opportunities to preach and I failed miserably because it didn't flow. I knew it wasn't me. That's not who I am and God never empowered me to do that. I floundered for a long time trying to figure it out. I went from youth ministry to media ministry and none of that was God's plan.
So what was my calling? It was to be the best of me that I could be. Just live my life and what I was doing. It really wasn't one thing and it hasn't been something people would call a "ministry". The Bible also says that whatever you do to work at it with all of your heart as if you are doing it for the Lord. (Colossians 3:23) Being a preacher or missionary is not a calling for everyone. the Bible even says that He called "some" people. I have seen it many times when people got amped up to preach but failed to realize it’s not standing behind the pulpit. Ministry and callings come in many ways and many forms. Being a dependable employee with integrity can sometimes be a better sermon that is lived out in front of others.
For over 20 years I worked a job that I felt was my calling during that time in my life. It was a unique career and I excelled at it. I never preached a sermon or quoted Bible verses as I was doing it but I did it with integrity. Was I the best at it? No, but I did MY best and give it MY all. I functioned in the gifts that God gave me.
My other "calling" is what I am doing right now - writing. I don't have a large following and I am not blowing up the Internet but I'm just being myself. It isn't something that is spooky spiritual. It's sad that I wasted so many years pursuing something that I already had in my life. Let me assure you that if God wants to use you in a specific way, He will make it happen. It's not a mystery that you have to solve. Just do what you are doing right now and live each day the best that you can for Him.
So am I saying that if you are working in McDonald's that your job is God's calling in your life? Yes. Do it all for God because where you are may be your mission field. Trust me on this. When God sees you, He will order your steps.
I may be closer to the end of my life but I am not discouraged about it. God is still using me. I want my "dash" to mean something when people look back on my life. I want them to know the God that I have served all of these years. The greatest sermon I could ever preach is a life that tells others about God's love.
