A Change of Pace

Did God "call" me to Kenya? Did God "call" me to work at a high school? Did God "call" me to work with Muslims and nominal Christians? Yes, he did, and you know what's crazy? Are these my passions? Did he send me here to work in my country of choice, working in my job of choice, doing what I'm good at, working with people groups that I have a special passion for? No. He didn't.

Serving God is not about doing for God what we're good at or what we're "passionate" about. It's about serving God. It's about what he wants done. He is working all around us, and he wants us to join, but too often we're to focused on finding our "passion" or our "calling" to see the need in front of us. It is not our job to dream up the amazing things we will do for God. It's our job to listen and go. This has become very evident to me in my ministry here.

I think as Christians, we get really hung up with our jargon. A "calling" sounds so big and amazing. (And saying, "I'm not 'called,'" is the easiest way to get out of something.) But, how "called" did Jesus feel when he was rushed by crowds day after day who were mostly just there for the novelty and the free stuff (boy, can I empathize)? As well, our idea of a "passion" seems just . . . unbiblical. Can I say that? I've been told that when that word is used in the bible it is used only in a negative sense. (Hos 7:6-7, "Their passion smolders all night; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire. All of them are hot as an oven; they devour their rulers."
1 Cor 7:9 "But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion ." NIV) Where are we getting this idea of "passion," anyway?

So look around. How often do we assume we're not "called," simply because we don't feel "passionate" about something? So we do nothing.

John 9:4:
"As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work."

So, let's get to work!