I had a talk with my girls the other night. I just wanted them to know how proud of them I am. And how glad I am that they took their own paths in life. Much of it went something like this: (and I only post this because it might be helpful to someone)
"You missed your calling." I get this a lot. Lots of people do. Sometimes it's just a funny thing to say about a certain situation. Sometimes there is truth behind it. I suppose a lot goes into missing a calling. There's not paying attention, actually missing (not hearing) it. Then there are the things you put before your calling and all the various reasons and excuses you can come up with for living a different life than the one you were intended for. There's that "silly dream" thing. Always, there are those pesky obligations that we put before the obligation to live "the" life.
I'm not qualified to say, but I would think there is a peace, a certain satisfaction that comes with living out your God given "calling". If that's you, I applaud you. I don't resent you. I admire you.
Me? I didn't "miss" any calling. I just didn't have it in me to follow it . . . the guts, the brains, the confidence, the trust ... the faith. I daydreamed. I've spent many a lonely, depressed, self-deprecating, kicking myself in the tail kinds of nights. I've also done a lot of brain-storming. I thought "someday" until I realized that someday seems to have come and gone.
There comes a day when everyone of us wakes up . . . actually, it's probably that night, lying in bed staring into the darkness, thinking, and we realize that there are things that will never be, things we will never do that we should have done. Those opportunities and abilities are in our past.
I'm sure everybody has or will have such a list.
I'll tell you what I told my girls: "Missing your calling, failing to follow the heart God gave you, should never be on that list." I hope it's not now and never shows up on their list.
As I have watched them, I realize that God's path for you is not always smooth and easy. It can be tough. There are times when it seems impossible, or impassible. It's the right path, though.
"Life happens". It does. And we so easily become distracted by those things that we think we can or should try to control. But, when God tells us to seek Him with all our heart, it is only because in Him will we find EVERYTHING we should want and need. Direction. Your career, your spouse, your joy, your ministry, your life ... your dream.
Your life, your time, is in God's hands. As long as you are here, He has something for you to do. If it's left undone, it's not because of Him.
So follow your God-given heart. If you've forgotten that you ever had a dream, much less what it was, ask Him to reveal and renew His dream within you. Encourage everyone you know to do the same. And, if you are like me, with more life (years) behind you than ahead of you, quit looking back at all the things that didn't happen, all the things that are not back there. There is more life ahead than we can possibly know. Do what God says and look forward. Look to Him. He has something for you ... something uniquely for you from Him. Stop looking for unseen things behind you and look forward toward those as yet unseen things ahead of you.
It bears saying again: Following the heart God gave you should never be on your list of things that didn't happen.
Connected,
Dennis
