Did you ever feel that God had a special calling on your life?

There have been different times in my life when I felt that God had something very special for me to accomplish. I actually applied to be the full time Youth Pastor at First Assembly under Pastor Williams but I am so glad that he didn't even interview me. I wasn't qualified but loved being the interim pastor. I served as the interim Youth Pastor for almost a year. Special calling? I don't know that I would say that I ever felt extra special or that I needed to do something special. When I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I would be healed and that the whole experience would serve as as testimony. I was afraid of going through the process and didn't want to be sick...I also didn't want to be a "sick Grandpa". I remember watching my Dad spend time with Katie, Maggie and all of the other Grandkids - and him not being able to do a lot with them because he was always sick. Mom spent most of the time with the kids - swimming and playing in the backyard - because Dad was too sick to do it. I hated that feeling and hated it for him. I never wanted to be that way with my Grandkids and wanted to be the one out playing, riding bikes. I have had some very significant feelings that God was using me in different ways. Mostly I just feel that I have been called to Love others. I feel that God has put me into a place of influence and I am just supposed to love on other people. For some reason, I have always been attracted to the misfits - the ones that others kind of pushed aside. Ty Sutton, Lee Bredell - I also felt very called to get something accomplished in Africa with the diamond sales and that was one of the craziest experiences of my life. I am 100% fully confident that God orchestrated that whole thing but I have no clue why it never happened. There is no reason why everything - absolutely everything - lined up perfectly for us to be able to sell those diamonds. Maybe it was just a way for God to have me be obedient and follow His directions. After all was said and done - our two partners are both in jail for investment fraud and we were completely protected. Ed lost some money and we lost a little bit but it wasn't very much... As I look back on that whole experience, I am still not sure why it didn't work out. I felt like we entered into the whole opportunity with good motives and a pure heart. It wasn't just a way to get rich but we were trying very hard to honor God in each step that we took but it never happened. I kind of feel the same way about our Coffee Shop idea. I feel like it is something that would allow us to serve other people and to honor God in our business. We feel very strongly that it is supposed to happen but things keep happening to halt it and step in our way. We are trying very hard not to push it and allow God to direct our steps but it has been a very strange process. I don't want to "make" it happen but want to let God direct our steps. It is definitely a desire of our heart and I think it would be a great business to run - social minded and servant minded - but we will see what our next steps will be. When I was serving as the Interim Youth Pastor, I remember preaching a Wednesday Night service and challenging the students to know that God was calling us to be bankers, factory workers, carpet cleaners, policemen and others. Too many people think that you only get a calling to be a pastor or missionary or worship leader. We are all called to serve and reach other people in love.

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