Is God Calling Me?

Our world is filled with people who have claimed to hear from God. Some have done amazing things filled with love and compassion. Some have performed great acts of violence and atrocities. It's no wonder we are careful when we claim to be hearing the voice of God giving us guidance and direction in life. One of the great tragedies in modern life is when we see religious people promote themselves in business like fashion for selfish gain. At the advent of television in previous generations and now in the internet and the 'always on' of the twitter world we are saturated with the real and the false. How to discern? How to embrace and relate to the real and lasting while rejecting the false and pretentious. I woke up this morning around 5 a.m. with this phrase rummaging around in my head, "The man or woman of God doesn't need an endorsement or a product to sell. They need a burden and a people to serve." At first glance you might wonder who would want a "burden" in their life. But from God's perspective a heart felt burden is often the first call from heaven. God does care about broken people and places. And he wants to intervene and heal. But often his first call is to someone just like you and me to show us how he feels about what's going on. Man pities and moves on quickly. God has compassion and lingers and calls us to himself. When we are gifted with a burden we begin a relationship with God that involves people. The burden is to serve a people in our midst. It's a calling to be with people in every sense of the word. Not to do a 'project' and move on when the headlines fade. God doesn't do projects. God is love and that demands ongoing relationship and commitment beyond a deadline or a dollar amount. God is with us forever and his love is not extinguished by a change in circumstances. As I write this note the world's attention for a moment is fixed on the tragedy of Haiti's earthquake. A few years ago it was Indonesia and the tsunami. The world and its short attention span will move on. But those who hear the call of God won't. Their first call is not to a project or a place but to a loving Father who never let's go of us.

Jim