How You Hear Your Calling

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”—Colossians 3:15 (NKJV)

I had the best quiet time this morning. Believe it or not, it began when I read a Facebook post from a woman preparing to celebrate her fifty-first wedding anniversary. Her post was full of thankfulness and praise for her husband, their family, and their life together.

I was moved to read more of her posts on her Facebook page. I know what you’re thinking: What a stalker! Well, maybe so. But let me tell you what I know about this lady.

First, whenever she sees me, without fail, she asks about my little girl with special needs. And she never lets me exit the conversation without praying for me.

Second, this woman and her husband have spent their lives serving others. In the first half of their lives, they cared for many children who were in the foster care system. In the second half of their lives, when their kids were grown, they became missionaries who served and trained church planters.

Third, this woman is a cancer survivor. Yet, she never complains. And when I tell you she never complains, believe it. She only has words of thanks and praise on her lips. That’s why people are drawn to her and love to have her around.

In today’s Bible verse, the encouragement to live peacefully and thankfully was written by an imprisoned pastor. The Book of Colossians is known as one of the apostle Paul’s “prison letters.”
Paul was a religious zealot before he met Christ and a servant of God after meeting Christ. Through all his experiences, he learned that living thankfully puts things in perspective. Complaining, envying, and constantly competing with your brothers and sisters causes distraction, confusion, and anxiety. And none of those things produce peace.

On the other hand, living thankfully brings clarity. It unclogs the obstructions in the conduit that connects you, the created, to the Creator. It quiets the constant ambient noise that keeps you, the called, from hearing the Caller.

Thankful living is the result of living connected to Christ. When you live this way, people who observe your life know you live this way because you worship Jesus. Churched or unchurched, they’re intrigued. Your life becomes a tool of evangelism.