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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Huh? (01/21/10)
Huh – God’s Calling?

Our journey in life gives us experiences we can neither understand nor prepare for. One of these experiences is our calling from God. How many people readily jump up and follow God’s calling? How many people try and ignore what they think God is calling them to do? How many people hear God’s calling but answer with, huh?
“Huh?” can be confusing. If you ask someone to believe something and the say huh in reply what are they actually saying? Are they meaning, “I didn’t hear you, please repeat what you just said?” Or are they meaning, “I don’t believe you?”
I’m afraid I answer God’s calling with huh. I believe God is calling me to write. I don’t devote every second of every day to writing, but I often find myself reflecting on circumstances and tell myself this event will make a great story. I naturally make a story about events. It is an inclination I have had ever since I was a young boy. However, I am an electrical engineer. I chose my profession based on society’s need for engineers and because I could raise a family on the income an engineering salary provides. How can anyone raise a family on the income of an average writer? No, most writers have other jobs and write on the side. Very few writers are successful enough to be able to support themselves just from their writing. Am I forecasting my own limits as a writer because I feel I can’t make enough to support myself through writing?
God has great things in store for us if we would only follow him. Saint Peter, a chosen disciple of Jesus Christ, actually walked on water through his faith in Jesus Christ. Peter became the rock of the church through his faith in Jesus. Peter has been called the founder of the Catholic Church of Rome. How many of us have the faith of Peter? How many of us will answer God’s calling as Peter did? Yet, in the beginning of Peter’s journey, Peter denied even knowing Jesus.
A Pastor who I was talking to recently told me about a calling she had. She had a calling from God to move to another church. She was fairly content about where she was and really didn’t take the calling seriously. Then when she was preaching about Peter who had the faith to walk on the water she realized she was preaching what God was asking of her. God was asking her to have the faith to move to another church, something she didn’t want to do. She also got the inclination from other friends who thought this is what God wanted her to do. Peter, as you remember in the Bible, did walk on water. Seeing Jesus walking on the water, Peter went out from the boat and began walking toward Jesus. However, after awhile, Peter became afraid and began to sink below the waves. Jesus held his hand and rescued Peter from sinking below the waves and they both entered the boat safely. Finally, the Pastor, with Jesus’ help, made her leap of faith and followed God’s calling. The pastor seems to be doing extremely well.
For some, to refuse God is not an option. Pastor Charles Stanley, minister of First Baptist Church of Atlanta, once recalled in a sermon how he went to a seminary school in North Carolina where he met many older men who had disregarded God’s calling to preach early in life. After years of misery, unfulfilled dreams, and broken families, these men, in their 40’s and 50’s, went back to seminary school trying to live up to God’s calling and become ministers.
I have tried to reason with God. I tell God, “I’m not good enough. I’m not creative enough. I have nothing to say. Who will buy my work?”
Yet, God only says, “Write”.
It makes no sense. But, then this world we live doesn’t make much sense to me, except Jesus. So, I go forth.
How can we discern God’s grace? How are we to decide to stay our course through significant hardships or change our course to something more reasonable? When do we know God’s calling is real and when do we fall to our own inclinations?
I answer with prayer.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
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This article has been read 557 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
AnneRene' Capp
01/29/10
Your right! It's all about walking in faith which can be challenging when we add our human reasoning.

Remember to use paragraphs. It makes reading so much easier :)
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
01/29/10
I joke that sometimes God has to throw bricks at me to get me to listen to Him. They are padded bricks, but sometimes it's the only way He can get my attention. It sounds like God is throwing bricks at you too. I'm glad you answered His call.
Jan Ackerson
02/01/10
Very inspiring! Keep at it!
Ruth Brown
02/03/10
A good article.
PamFord Davis 
02/03/10
Thanks for opening your heart and mind in your search for God's leading in your writing. I felt like your keyboard must have had a difficult time keeping up with your rushing thoughts! God called. You answered!