(For some context, I wrote this for my vocation class. Feel free to have a read)
To me, vocation means to go. But what about the moments in life where we’re unsure of where to go? What about the moments in life when we don’t know what our purpose is? In these moments of uncertainty, which will be frequent, we ought to just get on a path and see where God leads. We ought to take opportunities that present themselves, dream dreams, make goals, fail goals, and discover what it is that excites us. And when we figure out what that is that makes us come alive, we ought go in that direction and see what happens. Too often we feel like we have to have every moment of our life mapped out. But we forget that the moments of spontaneity make for some of the best moments of our lives. So, to me, vocation means to go. Last summer, I read a book that changed my life; the book was Love Does by Bob Goff. It took me forever to get through mainly because I found myself rereading pages over and over in an effort to not forget what was being said. I highlighted and folded pages throughout the entire book; I just couldn’t get enough of it. I think that the reason that I loved this book so much was because it challenges each person to live an extraordinary life. Bob challenges us to take risks in life. He challenges the reader to take hold of God’s ever extending hand that is always inviting us on an extraordinary journey. There have been many moments in my life where I’ve been too afraid to walk into the unknown. Too often I find myself choosing the comfortable, safe life and, as a result, I miss out on the adventure that God calls us to take part in. This book encouraged me to build up the guts to refuse to live a safe life, and instead, to take risks. Another reason that I loved this book was because Bob Goff talks so much about the character of God. Goff writes, “These days, the view of God I hold on to isn’t Him being mad because I’ve missed the mark. It’s the one of Him seen through a bloody eye, scooping me into His arms, getting blood all over His shirt, and carrying me away to get healed.” I love this because it’s so true. Part of my fear of not wanting to take risks comes from the concern that I will mess up. But, I think that God uses everything in our lives. He encourages us to continue during the good and he teaches us lessons through the bad. Both the good and bad are necessary elements for the growth of becoming who God has created us to be. Bob Goff encourages the reader to go in life, which is what vocation is all about. He writes, “Tell me about the God you love; tell me about what He has inspired uniquely in you; tell me about what you’re going to do about it, and a plan for your life will be pretty easy to figure out from there. “As I am about to graduate from college in the next week, I find myself at a cross roads in life. What is next? Where will I live? What will I do? But it’s writers, like Bob Goff, who encourage me to simply go in a direction and see where God guides me next. The future is still uncertain, and I don’t have a clear plan mapped out but I have some ideas and I am excited where God will take me with those dreams. What’s interesting about Bob Goff is that at the end of the book he gives out his cell phone number. He encourages people to call him up if they ever want questions answered about the book. Even though Bob Goff isn’t exactly famous, he is very well known, so the idea of giving out his number was so surprising to me. So, one day I thought, “why not give Bob Goff a call?” As I thought more about calling him, I started to think that maybe this wasn’t the best idea. What if he didn’t answer? What if he wouldn’t be willing to answer some of my questions? What if I somehow offended the author of my favorite book? As I thought about this some more, I realized a similar pattern in my life; I was choosing to live the safer, more comfortable life. I was reminded that I ought to take risks and just see what happens. I slowly typed Bob Goff’s number on my keypad. After correctly typing all ten numbers, I set the phone on my kitchen table and looked at it for a little bit. Was I really going to do this? In a panicked moment of life, I clicked dial and could hear the dial tone ring. As I waited for someone to answer, my palms got sweaty and my heart was racing. Then, on the other side of the phone, someone said, “Hello, this is Bob!” I couldn’t believe it; I had dialed the right number. In a surprised response I said, “Hi…is this Bob Goff?” Sure enough, it was. The next two minutes of my life were painfully awkward from my side of the conversation. I stuttered, my voice shook; I was all over the place. But you know what? I did it. I called him and that was the real test of it all. I did something that I never imagined I would; I took a risk. There was one question in particular that I was most excited to ask him. It was a question that I had frequently pondered and asked in my vocation class. I asked him, “Do you feel like you had a clear calling of what you wanted to do with your life?” What I loved so much about his response was that it had been the same response as all the other people I had asked. He said that it hadn’t always been crystal clear. He had tried some things and some things worked while others didn’t. We ought to simply go and see what God does. I hung up the phone and was thrilled. As I come to a close with my schooling career, what I want to take with me is a drive to go and to take risks. I want to be open for the adventures that God wants to take me on. I want to remind myself to not shove my dreams into the corner, but instead to live them out. I want to become the brave person that God has called for me to be. I want to refuse to take the safe path but instead take the exciting rollercoaster. With life, there will be ups and downs but I am excited to learn, to dream, and to see what God has on the itinerary next. I’m thankful for books that encourage us to take risks. I’m thankful that each person has a different vocation and path to take in life. I’m thankful that God invites us to live and to take part in an exciting journey. In one of the chapters of Love Does, Bob talks about a woman who encouraged him to follow his dreams. She tells him, “Bob, you know those things that have pinged you? Those gifts that are beautiful? Those countries and people who are most important to you? The God you love? Keep moving toward those.” So go. Get on a path filled with things that make you come alive and see where God will take you next. He’s got a great plan for each of us and we ought to take him up on the adventure. Needing inspiration? -----> Go read Love Does
0 Comments
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
February 2019
Categories |