Book Notes Part 3--Discerning A Call
Water-walking requires wisdom to discern a call. There is a difference between faith and foolishness. So, how do you discern an authentic call from your own impulse? Here are a few helpful thoughts Ortberg shares in the book:
- Take your calling seriously. You are on a mission from God. Believers share a common calling to know and love God and have Christ formed in us. We are also given gifts and talents to serve God and others.
- Honor your raw material. Be honest about your gifts and limitations. "A calling is something you discover, not something you choose." Acknowledging limits gives you freedom, but it may be painful. (My next post will address this area.)
- Form a "clearness committee", whose purpose is to ask you questions, listen, and pray for a sense of God's calling.
- Conduct "low-cost probes". Test the waters.
Receiving a calling is not the same thing as having a dream career. This doesn't mean that God doesn't use our "raw material," but it will usually be beyond my resources and capabilities to complete the task. It may mean paying a high price. Ouch. Suddenly having a calling doesn't seem so idealistic and romantic.
posted by T.K. Chapman @ 10:01 AM
7 Comments:
Wow, that's intense. That was really applicable, acutally, as I have struggled on numerous occasions over the past year or so to truly discern what my calling is. The "dream career" comment really hit home, 'cause I think that's what we usually seem to want it to be.
Hi Tonia, thanks for this post.
I have been trying to discover my calling and have yet to. I wonder what is my calling.
I have yet the wisdom.
Hi Tonia, I hope you won't mind me making reference to this post.
But if you do, let me know, I can amend accordingly.
PY, I don't mind if you reference the post. Glad you liked it.
Dave, I think a dream career really is what most people want when they talk about a calling. We want smooth sailing and unending happiness, but looking at the Bible and the characters that were called to something, that's not exactly what they got.
thought-provoking, mootable pv. just my thoughts, well anyways gl & be chipper is what i say
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