Sometimes, more than I wish, I hear people say something like this: "I prayed about it, but I just don't feel like the Lord is calling me to do that." I know this way of expressing is supposed to be a kind and Christian way to also say, "So don't ask me any more about it." When someone employs the Lord's authority in what they say, it's kind of a conversation stopper. But I've got just enough skepticism to want to ask some more questions. "Why don't you think the Lord is calling you - what makes you say that?" This is where things sometimes get interesting. Sometimes the gist of it is that "it doesn't feel comfortable or familiar to me - so I'm pretty sure God's not calling me to it." Granted, everyone has a right to answer as they wish. But I wish we wouldn't use the God-card if what we want to say is, "That idea scares the pants off me and I have no experience in that, so for now I don't think I'm up for it." That's real, and it's understandable. I'd like to just say that.
I have a concern that somehow there is an idea being peddled that God is only calling if something feels very manageable and enjoyable. Now I know this is challenging ground, because call shouldn't be gauged simply on the grounds that something feels easy or rigorous. It should be gauged with deeper consideration than that - with things like prayer, honest self examination, and the wisdom of people close to us. But we have to move away from the "if it's easy, I'm called, if it's hard I'm not" mindset. Consider Abraham who was called to leave everything he knew - his family, his land, and all that was familiar. That'd be very hard, and it was without a doubt, God's call for him. Moses was called to lead Israel while living under the iron fist of Egypt. He would have to approach the Pharaoh and stand up to the injustice of it all. Understandably, Moses protested when he considered who he was and what he was up against. God confirmed this call.
Often in the Bible, when God calls, His voice calls for us to step up to a new challenge. It's funny to think about, but I wonder if as adults, when nobody is pushing us to the next step, if we settle into this comfort mode. See, as kids, we were regularly forced to step up to the next level, and it was often an uncomfortable step up. When you finished 2nd grade you went to 3rd. Your mother didn't say, "Johnnie, you finished second grade now and I wonder if you feel that God is calling you to move up to third grade." Imagine a child saying, "Mom, I've given this idea some thought and third grade's gonna be challenging. I've prayed about it, and I don't think the Lord's calling me to third grade." That's not how it worked. As kids we were used to this pattern of stepping up - to the next grade, the next league, the next level of competition. But as adults this dynamic is often long behind us. We're prone to settle.
In life with God, faith is the necessary ingredient to make significant steps. Most of the people in the Bible could confirm that His call often came with challenges. Ask Paul, or Daniel, or Esther or, well, Jesus.
