Some years back my husband and I knew we had been called to make a move. We knew God was leading us to leave our home in Missouri and move south. We'd prayed. We'd fleeced. We'd become convicted. And nobody understood it. It was difficult for our extended family to accept that after living near for so long we would take their 3 tiny grandbabies and relocate to a different time zone.
And, honestly, it was terrifying for us, too. 3 babies, all under the age of 4. How would we manage that without the support of family? And we had some amazing family—like really amazing. The kind of amazing that keeps the grandbabies overnight once a week and takes care of them during the weekdays so we could work. But if I've learned anything over the years, I've learned that this whole faith thing, it's about responding to what you know God has for you, no matter how you feel. We are meant to be followers, after all.
Where did I get the idea that if God called me to something others would affirm it? Where did I get the idea that I will understand the why behind the call? Certainly not from Abram, who was called to leave his family without knowing where he was being sent. Not from David, who was quietly annointed years before actually being crowned king. Not from Esther, who was taken by a king, not knowing she would be the instrument of salvation for her people. Not from Mary, who became pregnant as a young, unmarried woman.
When we think of the pain Jesus experienced, we often recall the events on the cross, but sometimes we overlook the pain He must've felt along the way. The rejections, misunderstandings, betrayals. In the face of all of this, He didn't quit. He didn't fall apart and abandon His work. No matter what others around Him did or said, He followed where His Father lead Him. He walks towards His calling in the face of doubt. But how? How was He so sure when everyone and everything around Him doubted? How can I be as confident?
When Jesus felt broken and discouraged and alone, He turned to His father. And His father declared: You are my Son, and in you I am well pleased.
We have to learn to do the same. When we are in pain, we have to turn to the Father and listen as His truth pours over us. You are my child, and in you, I am well pleased.
Jesus says that His sheep know His voice, so this week, when the voices around you get loud, listen for His. Pray this week that He will infuse you with His truth.
What the Spirit asks you to do won't always make sense to those around you. It doesn't have to. Sometimes it looks like stepping out and beginning something new, sometimes it looks like walking away from something that you were once called to. As followers of God, we have to be willing to step into our calling. Not for the affirmation of others, but because of the affirmation of God Himself.
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