I’ve been thinking a lot recently (dangerous, I know) about God’s calling and purpose. We talk often about wanting to do God’s will, wanting to follow His direction, and fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). But I wonder, how often do we really let it get personal, truly intimate? What I mean is, have we really reached the point in our lives when we trust God completely – giving Him everything in our lives? Not an easy task by any means. And also not something we can do on our own or really fully achieve this side of heaven, but the process and progress towards trusting God completely is definitely work the journey. At least I think so.
Now, please know I’m not here to judge or say how to get to that point. I’m on this journey just as you are and God is working in each one of us. These questions I’m wondering about may not be what you’re wondering about and that is okay. Perhaps you and God have already gone through this. Perhaps you’re not quite ready to go through this. Neither is wrong. Neither is right. They simply are.
Yes, God has called us to be in relationship with one another and so we can learn, we can teach, and we can share what has been meaningful to us. But that doesn’t mean we should expect all that is meaningful to us to be meaningful to others. We must be okay with the various passions, desires, understandings, and lives of God’s children. He has made every single person unique; none the same. That means there are more than 7 billion different ways to be a child of God. Some things in each of us are similar and we do resonate with joy when our similarities connect. Those things that are different, though, give us a glimpse, another perspective into the heart of our Father. We see another part of His image that was bestowed upon humans in every person we meet. Every. Person.
What this means to me is that we cannot be fully complete without every single person on earth. Not that we have to have a close, intimate relationship with them all, or even with a majority. But it is to our benefit that we acknowledge our connection to each one, no matter how distant and unfathomable it may seem this side of heaven.
When we can do that, acknowledge our connectedness then we’re able to draw even closer to God. He becomes more personable, approachable, and precious. God’s desire to be known by us and to have a personal, intimate relationship with us becomes more real and tangible. We see in the life of Christ what we can have when we trust the Father for everything, letting go of all earthly desires and fears. We see in the life, death and resurrection of Christ that our trust in the Father is well placed because He fulfills His promises to His children.
The more we trust God, the more the things of this earth fall away. And yet the sweeter, more precious, and joyful our lives become as God’s blessings overflow in this earth. Let me try to explain what I mean. I love my family dearly and hold tightly to my relationship with them. As I let them go, though, not in a “hands-off-I’m-done-with-you” kind of way but in a “Here-Jesus-is-my-family-I-know-You-love-them-more-than-I” kind of way, there is peace beyond description. In giving my family to God I feel closer to them. In my desire to hold onto them, I was pulling myself away from God, putting them ahead of my relationship with Him. When I let them go, they didn’t get farther away as I feared. Instead, they realigned to be next to me as I drew closer to God. My love for them became richer because I allowed more of God’s love to flow through me for them. I gave up “my love” for my family so that I could experience God’s love for them. God’s unconditional, sacrificial, precious, never-ending, joy-filling, overflowing love for them.
As I continue to lean into and trust God’s Spirit within me, I see that I can also trust God’s Spirit within them. My worry and concern for them and all the bad, all the things that could go wrong, really did diminish as I placed my family in God’s hands. He can do more for them than I can ever hope to do. And now that my hands are open, freed from grasping so tightly to my family, I can embrace them more fully, more completely.
This is just a part of what has happened for me as I wonder about God’s purpose and calling. As I enjoy this peace and closeness with God and my family I know God still has more. More for me to let go. More for me to give to Him. More for me to receive from Him. And I look forward to that; as I focus on God’s calling to me, God’s purpose and plans for my life, I anticipate all that is to come. Tomorrow, and the next day, and the next.
What do you hear God calling you to do? To let go? To hold onto? Whatever it may be, know that God’s love for you, His delight in you (Zeph. 3:17), His graciousness for you is more than enough and can bring you peace beyond understanding to your heart and soul.