Post #3: The call of the wild:
Confirming your Call
By Joleen Steel
Where were you when you got the call?
My call came on the heels of my husbands premature departure from Seminary. We drove away from Dallas Texas in our Ford long bed truck. The skyline of the city stood in stark contrast to the glittering night. My heart broke as I realized what my husband was doing for me. My fear of ministry forced this decision to leave. I looked back at the skyline with tears streaming.
Clearly. Softly. A voice spoke to my heart., “Look how your husband loves you. I love you even more!”
With those words, my heart melted. I felt the call. I know it doesn’t sound like a call to simply hear God say, “I love you even more.” For me, that message spoke light into my darkest corners and courage into my fearful heart. Suddenly, I felt the urge to go anywhere with God. Within a year my husband accepted a pastoral position in Denver Colorado. Twenty years later, I still hear the loving , wild call of God upon my life.
How do you know you are called?
To be clear, all Christ followers have been called to Salvation. We are also all called to fulfill the great commission.
Matthew 28:19
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
So what more do we want? Why is that I didn’t feel, “Called” until the moment I heard God whisper to my heart? I believe God knows what each of us needs. In my own personal weakness, I needed affirmation that my husband and my God saw me and loved me. In truth, I can look back and know I’d always felt the compelling desire to serve God in full time ministry. God graciously affirmed that desire through my husbands sacrifice.
So, what do you need?
Do you need courage, hope, strength, faith? God sees your need. Tell him. Ask Him for what you personally need. If you are already married and your husband is in ministry. I understand how odd it must feel to ask for a call on your own life when it seems like you’re already stuck. That’s the problem. You should not feel stuck or tricked into ministry. I loved God. I love my husband. Honestly, I didn’t want to be a part of what my husband was pursuing. Why? I feared the church. I feared being hurt, or pigeon holed, or worse, manipulated into being something I wasn’t. God saw me and knew what I needed. Hearing his voice made all the difference.
So, I ask you again. What do you need? God heard my heart. He hears yours as well. Spend time with Him today. Share your heart and ask He who gives graciously to his children to show you what you are missing. He will “fan into flame” the coals of you soul. He will forge you into a “weapon fit for its work.” Isaiah 54:16.
Blessings to you who are with me, under the same wing.
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