Calling

I had a dream last night regarding my calling. It has been an ongoing tension most of my adult life. Here are single sentences that summarize times of my walk.

1982 - I am called by God and I am invincible.
1985 - I am called by God and I have a hope for future ministry.
1990 - I am called by God but I am not able to fulfill it now.
1992 - I have a call but how can I fulfill it?
1995 - I have a call and I will prepare for it.
2005 - I am cursed with a call that I am not able to fulfill.
2011 - I am called by God.

Comments

Milton Stanley said…
Thanks for posting this info. I'm interested in hearing more. This may be a stupid question, but please help me understand: these one-sentence summaries are of your perceptions and reactions, right? In reality (viz. if you were really looking at it as God intended), shouldn't your walk have been:

1982 - I am called by God.
1985 - I am called by God.
1990 - I am called by God.
1992 - I am called by God.
1995 - I am called by God.
2005 - I am called by God.
2011 - I am called by God.

?
10:14 AM
pruittcommunications said…
Milton,

Yes, these are my perception or perhaps better to think of them as misperception. In fact, I fear a little that I may not be as mature as my 2011 declaration touts. I may still have something wrong there. If so, may God continue to prune and trim me. A broken vessel hoping to serve God whether I have a honor or not. The important thing is to honor God.

Thanks for visiting my blog once again.
1:35 PM
O said…
No disrespect intended..I love aspects of religion but what if you remove the lens of religion and God. Do these thoughts come after something hidden?
I yearn??
8:34 PM
pruittcommunications said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
10:57 PM
pruittcommunications said…
If as you imply there is someway to remove God from calling, then what I have is delusion. I have befriended and worked with the mentally ill who hallucinate. Sometimes visions of grandeur that sound clearly unrealistic haunt these friends. In fact, listening to these haunting delusions of grandeur have caused me to more than once weigh my own goals and significance. If I consider the possibility that God is not doing the calling then I am left with a goal instead of a call, a goal cause by a delusion. Are my goals merely selfish desires for significance? I have thought often of this question. It is a definite possibility that I am delusional as well. But examining my call experience I don't think so. I have had several well intentioned relatives point to my current job as significant and well compensated work. If I eventual move from my current job to the pastorate I will take a pay cut for sure. It may be rough. As I spend my evenings and weekends working hard to finish seminary, my education is actually working me away from the life style that I am currently enjoy. I am fully aware that I will lose status in some people's eyes and reduce my standard of living in a way that I will not be able to come back to.

Significance is something I yearn for, and many people do in our fallen world. Transcendent answers are the best ones, but those should be tied to reality in the here and now so that they are not pie in the sky.

Thanks for being brave enough to speak your mind.
11:01 PM
Louise said…
Have you read "The Call" by Oz Guinness? It's an excelllent book about the call of God on one's life. One quote from that book says, (not an exact quote) "We're not called to something but to Someone". A good book.
11:28 AM
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