It was just a line in a movie…a movie with no notoriety at that. And it sunk down deep and wouldn’t let me go.
The premise was that one of the characters (a young woman, 8 wks. pregnant with her first child)–a missionary–was killed.
A pastor comforting her brother and husband, reminded them of the many saints in the past who didn’t have happy endings, in our estimation. Then the words….
“A calling isn’t something we’re asked to ‘do’; it’s something we’re asked to ‘be’.”
Does that hit you between the eyes? See, we’re all so focused on the “doing”. Because really, “doing” is easier than “being”. At least for me it is.
Our lives may be full of assignments, things God puts in our lives to do, but our calling–to be image-bearers of our Creator–is who we are, regardless of what we do.
Understanding the difference is crucial. It changes how we live. When we embrace our calling to BE, that permeates everything from how we greet our husband in the morning, how we respond to irritations when no one else is watching (ouch), to how we handle the more outward assignments God puts in our paths.
It’s the difference in “doing Christian things” and living a Christian life. I fear we are too concerned with what God wants us to DO instead of what He wants us to BE. We have an enormous Christian culture doing all sorts of things but often forgetting who they are, what they believe and what their real purpose in life is.
Let us never forget: Christianity isn’t an activity; it’s a life.
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15 comments
So true!!!!
Ouch! OK, 2×4 received, now to implement it. Very wise words, and so true. I never thought about it that way. It’s much easier to DO a calling than it is to BE one.
This hits me very hard right now as my husband gets ready to deploy for the second time in the two and a half years he has been in the army. I just can not find the strength to do this again.
Praying for you, Heather. May God show you His power and strength to carry you through.
Heather–praying you find that in your weakness, He is strong and His grace is sufficient.
Very thought-provoking and timely for me. Just last night I was contemplating the account of Mary and Martha in Luke 10, especially these two verses:
41 “And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Those verses, to me, are the epitome of being rather than doing. I get so wrapped up in details and get “troubled about many things”, forgetting about that one thing needful, simply sitting at Jesus’ feet and resting in my relationship with Him in the midst of the things there are to do and the earthly relationships there are to build in this life.
God’s got all the details worked out. I can BE at peace simply abiding in Him.
What’s the movie?
I meant to include that 😛 “This is Our Time”–Netflix.
Cool, thanks!
Thank you! I am almost two weeks past my due date and have been very short on patience lately. “How we respond to irritations when no one else is watching”, that hit me hard. I really needed this!
Oh Kimberly, I can so sympathize with you! My last baby went 19 days over…it was seriously one of the most emotionally-challenging times I can ever remember. I have good news…you WILL go into labor.
One of the teens I work with is always find of saying, “I’m not a human doing, I’m a human BEING!” This made me think of her.
Amen!!to this post and you look great in those pictures!!
Really good Word!
Amen.