Thoughts on Calling

Today I am reminded more than ever of my calling to global awareness. I have been struggling back and forth with this thing called “Calling” and am now completely convinced that it is from the devil. Honestly, when I stop worrying myself into a nervous wreck I am faced with the reality that I am part of the few percent blessed to even have the opportunity to discover my calling.
As mysterious as discovering my calling sounds it isn’t hidden. In fact it is right in front of my eyes. The thing that scares me the most, the thing that makes others question my sanity. You know that thing that makes no sense at all but gives you complete joy. I have found that it isn’t so much as what it is but instead how it is walked out that most people get messed up on.
Like I said before it is right in front of your eyes. There are few things that as human beings we are all called too. To love God and to love others seems to be the underlying calling on all of our lives. It is when things like money, fame, and pride get in the way that we reject our original calling and place a coat of idolatry on instead. This black coat creates a sense of individualistic selfishness that when played out destroys all hope for finding our true calling.
Although I may be overstating the simplicity of finding our calling it is important to try and understand that it is simply that easy. You need no lengthy self-discovery process, or even seminars on how who you were made to be. You must first and for most start with the general human calling and develop your specific passion within that calling. Yet, constantly being aware that your specific passion should never be more important than the calling to love God and others before yourself. Plenty of people have started off on this path and soon found that they should be happy. They have everything they ever dreamed of, and still they find themselves empty. While others have come so close to discovering true happiness but chickened out because the cost of self sacrifice is to much for them to handle. They can’t fathom laying done their right to have money, fame, and for some even a family in order to love God and others above themselves.
Sure, billions of people would say that they love “God”. But it isn’t so much this lip service or even physical service that makes the difference. The difference is in what the persons perspective on God is. For Muslims, Allah is this distant and non-loving God that only requires ultimate extreme sacrifices. Disregarding mercy and grace creates a society that can not even understanding calling to love God and others. They are instead called to conform the world to their views by force and sword. Now, Christians do not have the cleanest record either for this type of “calling” but it sure is not mandated from the God that they serve. Instead in most of these cases it has nothing to do with God but more to do with political gain or unrest between the different countries involved.
For Buddhist their only calling is to please the billions of God’s that are unhappy with them and can kill them at any point in time. They are called to be good people out of fear of evil spirits and curses. There is no calling to be a better person or to change the world instead poverty and malnutrition is believed to be the direct result of the God’s being angry at you. Hinduism is very similar but one difference is the idea that you are striving to come back as something, or someone better. If you can be a good person then in the next life you can avoid the horrible reality of coming back as a bug or worse yet as part of the lowest cast. The cast system is mandated by the God’s they believe in and enforced out of fear that they could be punished if they help someone rise to a higher cast.
Within each of these religious views there is a calling. It is not a lack of calling that inhibits people but instead what they believe their calling is and how it influences their perspective on life that can leave a damaging effect. We can talk all day about what our specific passion is or area of society that brings you joy but don’t mistake that for a calling. Your calling is to love God and to love others, it is through that calling one can change the world for good and bring light into people’s life that makes an eternal difference.