Sometimes we become distracted by the noise of discouragement and closed doors, which are intended to hone our signal toward the right doors – the opened ones.  What appear to be mishaps serve as critical teaching moments we need to be equipped to handle the weight of assigned challenges and, just as important, the overwhelming excitement of blessings intended for us.

God allows us to make mistakes to awaken our awareness of our limitations and, in turn, our need for His intervention.  At the same time, it provides us an opportunity for growth.  If we follow through with the process, eventually we become more effective in our calling.  Have you ever undertaken a mission you felt strongly about and then the pieces did not come together?  Instead you were left irritated and dumbfounded as to why it did not work out.  Perhaps that mission was not yours, despite your good intentions, but simply a distraction.  Maybe you have a bigger calling.

The Bible provides us with examples of people whom God chose for a particular mission but needed some nudging to realize it.  God told Jonah to go to Ninevah to preach but instead he took a ship bound for Tarshish.  He endangered the lives of the crew and his own because his disobedience caused a storm that almost wrecked the ship (Jonah 1: 3 – 4).  Jonah eventually decided to go where he was supposed to go (Jonah 4: 3).  Another example is Saul who was instructed to wipeout Amalek and all he had (1 Samuel 15: 2, 3).  Instead of following instructions, Saul spared the king of Amalek and kept the best of his animals (verse 9).  This cost Saul and he lost his close relationship with God even though he tried to give God a gift with what he kept and sought repentance (verses 22, 23).

When we function in areas we are not supposed to, people can get hurt as well as time and money can be wasted.

On the other hand, if we stick to our calling, walls in our lives will fall like the walls of Jericho (Joshua 6: 3 – 5).  Continue to ask God to show you what His calling is for you because He may have something bigger for you than what you may be currently chasing (Proverbs 3: 5-6).

A Bigger Calling

May our efforts be focused only on our mission

And not on whims of good intent seeking to cloud our vision

Let us fulfill our potential by engaging in what matters most

Missions gifted by our talents and paths paved by the Lord of Hosts

Oh God, give me the wisdom and foresight to make the right decisions.  Those that glorify you, touch my fellowman and enable my self-improvement.

I know I will not always make the right ones.  So when I am wrong, give me the willingness to trust you for the best outcome and the courage to face the consequences.

I also know some will be right.  So when I am blessed, give me the heart that will always express my gratitude and remain humble.

Amen

When I lived in Trinidad, I had a race with another guy around my age I believed I was going to lose to.  Guess what happened?  I lost even though I started off quicker than him and remained in front for about half of the race.  On another occasion, I ran the anchor in a 4 x 100 relay in high school and I really wanted to win the gold.  I told myself that if I got the baton first, nobody was going to pass me.  Guess what happened this time?  I got the hand off first and I took off in a blaze.  I won the race.

You must pursue your goal with the intent to get there!  Do not operate half-heartedly like you are undecided or on the fence.  God does not even like it.  In the Old Testament the children of Israel were commanded to love God with all their hearts, their souls, and their might (Deuteronomy 6:5).

Dean Karnazes is the “Ultra Marathon Man.”  His running feats include 226 miles without stopping, running over mountains, across Death Valley and to the South Pole.  He uses so much energy on his long runs that he once ate a whole pizza during a marathon.   He is a proponent of pushing the body to its limits.  In his book Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night RunnerDean said that he became “reborn” when he picked up running – that is passion.

Maybe you feel like you do not have a passion for anything or you do not know what your passion is.  Probably there are things that seem interesting but none of them seem to put you in the zone.  Do not be discouraged.  You may need to try a few more things, talk to a few more people, listen to few more speakers or do a bit more reading.  But when you eventually find your calling, pursue it with intensity because you will not have that opportunity when you are gone (Ecclesiastes 9:10).  Live with passion!

Live with Passion

Kalidasa wrote,

Yesterday is but a dream,

Tomorrow is only a vision,

But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness,

And every tomorrow a vision of hope

To append to that quote,

No matter how atrocious your past may seem

And how dismal a future you envision

Live passionately today like your past gifted hopefulness

For a future much brighter in scope