I’ll start by saying this one may be more for the ladies, but, guys please feel free to keep reading and hopefully something will challenge you.
As a woman in this day and age, I have to check myself daily. Where am I placing my identity? Far too often I find I compare myself to the clothing ad that catches my eye or the mom who has it all together on Facebook, or even to those who I know struggle but seem to have a stronger faith than I do. And then I have to check myself and remember God’s words of being “fearfully and wonderfully made.” Shouldn’t that be where I place my identity – in God’s Word and how He, himself, created me exactly the way He wanted? The answer is simply, Yes! That is where is should be, but I’m human and the world is the world and can be ever so deceiving and conniving making us think we are not enough. I read an article recently that challenged the ongoing trend for women of “self-care” and how we can’t fill from an empty cup. While self-care can be important and I absolutely think we, as women, need to take care of ourselves, do we doubt that God won’t fill our cup with exactly what we need? If we place our identity in Him, then He will fill our cup with rest, confidence, energy, joy, helpfulness, compassion, empathy….the list goes on. If Christ owns our identity, then the world’s standards of literally anything else just won’t be as appealing. Not an easy task for sure, but hopefully an encouragement that we aren’t alone. We need to hold each other up in prayer and provide constant encouragement to one another as we seek to remain in Christ rather than in the world.
So what does that have to do with calling? Well, while we are busy comparing ourselves to the world’s standards of everything, do we miss what God is calling us to do in the moment? You don’t have to work in full time ministry to be “called”. Maybe God called you to be a wife and/or mom serving your family in your home. Maybe God called you to work in a secular field so that you can be a light to others just by how you live. Maybe God is calling you to be an encouragement to others just be being a friend, saying a kind word or sending an uplifting text. “Calling” can feel intimidating and that maybe we aren’t making the cut, but I think God calls us to do many different things, many different times. As believers, we are “called” to advance the Gospel and make disciples. This doesn’t mean you have to be a Pastor, teacher or evangelist. You can simply focus on the people God puts in your life and build a relationship with them. As you plant the seeds, God will use you and will grow those seeds in His time. Be open to God’s calling each and every day and don’t be surprised when God uses you in a way that you never dreamed. If you abide in Him and are open to His calling, then He can and will use you to bring others to Himself and help them to grow in their faith.
1 Corinthians 1:30 “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
-Joanne Flaker