Yesterday I introduced you to the epic calling of the consummate Old Testament super hero: Samson. Next, I showed you that Samson’s calling, as awesome as it may be, bears an uncanny resemblance to my calling from God.
Oh, and your’s, too. Right. Almost forgot.
So why do our lives flatline into mediocrity?
It’s not God’s fault. He’s called us into adventure and awesomeness. Our lives flatline because our calling gets buried by all the other stuff. The sloppy soup of life. You know what I mean: Schedules. Commitments. Chores. Routines. Expectations. Distractions. Day jobs.
Day jobs? I thought my day job was important to God.
Oh it is. But it’s not your calling.
Huh?
Your calling is deeper than that. Remember Samson? He was called to be a deliverer, but don’t think for a minute he walked around with a “Deliverer” t-shirt, looking for maidens in distress. Sampson probably had a day job, but it doesn’t even get mentioned because his calling wasn’t tied to a particular employer, desk, or company.
Well, then I have no idea what my calling is.
Tell me about it. But let me show you how Samson discovered his:
“The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the Lord blessed him, and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him… ” – Judges 13:24,25
Did you catch it? God began to stir him. That word means “agitate.” He rocked Samson’s boat. Pushed his buttons.
Back to the soup analogy: Our calling gets buried by day to day administrivia, sinking to the bottom of the pot like all the potatoes and chunks of meat do on the stovetop. When God stirs us, the good, heavy stuff—our calling, our spiritual potential—rises to the top so we can scoop it off and get a taste of the good life he has for us.
What’s this stirring thing? Bill Hybels calls it “holy discontent.” So what injustice makes your heart bleed? What pervasive problem do you neeeeeed to fix? Pay attention to your heart. God’s conviction and guidance can literally turn your stomach, grip your heart, and offend the mind.
It happened to Samson.
It can happen to you.
Tomorrow we’ll pick up the trail and see what happens next.