Look for the hope of His calling...

Today's memory verse:
"The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling." -- Ephesians 1:18

Ok...it must be that I am supposed to think about my calling this week. Our pastor did a wonderful sermon on Sunday where he talked about us all being called. My being called will look different from your calling, but we all are called by God to some purpose. Then today, my Bible study reading was about how we can have hope in God's calling. I don't believe these are coincidence...I believe God wants me to really think about this.

In my lifetime, I have changed directions many times. When I went to college, I changed my major three times. My dad told me that he thought I believed my major was professional student...in some ways, he was right. It took me 10 years to get my Bachelor's degree, because I changed my mind, but also because I was working my way through school, taking classes as I could pay for them. Now, I am in a totally different field, again having changed my mind. I have always had the feeling that I just hadn't found my "calling" yet. 

However, I am beginning to think that my pastor was right...I have been confusing profession with calling. Yes, I believe God wants us to have a profession, or a job, that we enjoy doing, since we spend so much time doing it. We all don't have that luxury. Some people HAVE to work to survive, and take ANY job they can find, even if they hate it. I wouldn't say that would be a person's calling. A calling is so much more...

According to Isaiah 49:1, Isaiah was called by God in his Mother's womb. According to Galatians 1:15, Paul was also called by God before he was born.

Wait a minute, Paul, who used to be Saul the Christian hater, was called by God before he was born??? Then what about those years he spent torturing and killing Christians? He couldn't have been doing God's work then! 

Some of us don't learn of God's call to our lives until later in our lives. Some of us aren't ready to hear the whispering voice inside our head telling us what we were meant to do. 

Proverbs 8:17 Says "I love those who love me and those who seek me diligently will find me." 

God still loves all his children, even if they don't love him back. God made us all...he WIRED US to be loved, but it is up to us to seek him and desire his love. We have to WANT his love, and look for him. God says that when we seek him, we will feel his love back. 

While Bible greats like Isaiah and Paul claim to have called from their Mother's wombs...I think we have been too! God is calling all of us! He calls us to seek him and be his children!

Once we do know him, we discover that God has given each of us special talents that we can use FOR him. Figuring out what those talents are and using them for God's work is the key to living up to God's calling.

So, why have I been led to really think of my calling lately? Does all this mean I should change directions again? I have to be honest and say I don't really know. I need to seek answers from God will all my heart and live in the hope that he will answer me. I do know that I have learned some of the things I am good at...dealing with and encouraging people of all ages, teaching children,  music, and lately, writing. I can do all of those things in my job and in my church. I should serve where I am! Perhaps I am supposed to be right where I am at this given moment! If God wants me to move, I believe he will guide me that way!

Are you searching for YOUR calling? Let God be your guide. Seek him first, then follow His lead! It's never too late to receive the hope of His calling!