Fully Alive 9

The glory of God is a human fully alive,” so said Irenaeus, and this line is both quoted and a theme for Trevor Hudson’s new book, Discovering Our Spiritual Identity: Practices for God’s Beloved.

Signpost #8: We are to discern and discover God’s call for our lives and grow in that calling.

Speaking of Mother Teresa … who said we are not called to be successful but to be faithful. “Let each of you lead the life that the Lord has assigned, to which God called you” (1 Cor 7:17).

What we are called to?

1. To become the person God wants us to be.
2. To care for those closest to us as Christ loved us.
3. To participate in God’s kingdom dream for a healed and healing society.

Trevor has more or less covered #1 and #2 so this chp focuses on #3: how we are called by God into his kingdom work. Each of us has a message to deliver, a song to sing, and an act of love to bestow.

This calling:1. Nourishes our lives and those of others.
2. Usually evokes resistance on our part as we begin to discern our calling.
3. God calls into an amazing variety of tasks.
4. Our personal calling is dynamic.

That is some wisdom about calling.

The connection between our “calling” and “daily work” is varied. The latter has a job description and a wage. The calling is how we live from the inside out.

Now the big one: How do discern our personal calling?

1. Personal calling implies relationship with the Caller. Being before doing.
2. Personal calling intersects with the experience of pain. We are called to be healers.
3. Personal calling unfolds slowly.