Hearing God's Call

I took this straight from Pastor Brian's blog--couldn't have said things better myself.  I think maybe this is kind of where I'm at in my discernment process...finding this balance of being and doing.


This year we have four members of the Wartburg class of 2012 serving overseas as part of the ELCA's Young Adults in Global Mission program. Participants are placed in global ministry settings for a year of mission and service in another culture. I think it's one of the very best things that we do as a Church.

I received a newsletter from one of our graduates, Jessica Schenk, who is serving in Wolverhampton, England. Although the YAGM volunteers are there to work they usually quickly discover that they receive more than they give to the people they serve. It's been fun to watch our students continue to grow and discover God's call over the past year. I was so impressed by a short article in Jessica's newsletter about what she's learning this year that I wanted to share it. She writes,
Sometimes It’s About Being, Not Doing
Sometimes I go home at night wondering where on earth the day went. Especially when I first arrived, I would look at my schedule and even though I knew I was busy, I wouldn’t feel like I was actually accomplishing anything. That was before I realized something about my home culture that I’d never really considered before: In American culture, accomplishing something typically means having a tangible product to show for your efforts or being able to cross something off of your to-do list, and that’s true. When you do have something tangible to show for your efforts, you have accomplished some-thing. However, I’ve realized the trouble with viewing accomplishment that way is that it undervalues relationships. If I spend two hours of my day talking with someone, I may not feel like I accomplished something, but in reality I’ve done something that’s more important then crossing something off a to-do list. I’ve shared in someone’s story and left the conversation understanding the world a little better from a different perspective. So here is one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned so far in my time here: Sometimes our calling is about being more then it is about doing and that’s a good thing.

The balance between being and doing is one of the most difficult lessons to learn. I continue to learn the truth of this each and every year. It can be especially difficult thing to learn on a College campus where there are always papers to write, events to attend, and service projects to do.

Over the past several days we've had a chance to host the Rev. Dr. Erik Elnes on campus, thanks to the efforts of Pastor's Ramona and Chip Bouzard. Eric is Pastor of Countryside UCC Church in Omaha, a Biblical Scholar, an advocate for Compassionate Christianity, and the creator of an online interactive TV show called "Darkwood Brew". Last night Erik shared some of his thoughts on discerning God's call in our lives in a lecture entitled "Was that God talking or just the Pizza?".

One of the things that stood out to me in Erik's lecture is his idea that ministry and service should be things that flow naturally out of our being. We all have a "sweet spot" according to Erik where our unique gifts and personalities meet the needs of the world.

I find that for College students the problem usually isn't not having anything meaningful to do, but rather discovering what meaningful things God is calling me to do. Unfortunately when we work at a good cause that we're not necessarily called and equipped by God to do, the result is usually burn out and stagnation.

In just about everything we do in terms of spiritual formation at Wartburg we share in an ancient practice called the Examen. Created by Saint Ignatius the Examen invites us to look for God in t he things that make us grateful, loving, and full of life.

What makes you grateful, loving, and full of life? What projects or experiences make you feel like you are doing exactly what God created you to do? When we become aware of the answers to these questions we are indeed on our way toward discovering God's call in our lives. May it indeed be so!