The Call — 1
Part1: Does calling matter?
Recently, we have planned a visit to Dhonavur Fellowship to witness the work that Amy Carmichael started in the late 19th century, where she rescued hundreds of small girls from the trap of temple prostitution and other unwanted children. The rescued girls were protected and raised by Amma (mother), as they used to call her dearly. Even after she died in 1951, the work continued, and the community humbly serves their region, as best as they could.
The purpose of our visit was to help our youth learn from the community, the story of Amma and her work. The main topics that we reflected on is Calling. The reason I picked this topic while reflecting on the life and work of Amy is to understand how one’s devotion, life purpose and vocation could become a response to Christ’s call, “Follow me”.
To orient my thoughts and review my understanding of this important topic, I thought I would write short notes daily; however, I could not complete it before my visit, therefore I am writing some of it post my visit.
Besides reflecting on the scripture, Os Guinness’s book The Call was a helpful guide.
As Christians, whether we understand this truth or not, we are overfamiliar with this topic, and we are comfortable beginning with Christ calling us to his work. However, the word Calling is popular even in our modern mainstream culture. If I am not wrong, in the recent past, it was popular culture that was more interested in it than the Church. Unfortunately, the Church gradually imported the popular idea rather than vice versa.
Before we examine the Bible, I want to understand why the popular culture was interested in this topic. Collins dictionary defines it as, “Calling can signify a deep-seated urge to pursue a specific occupation or activity, often accompanied by a sense of divine or spiritual influence.”
When they say ‘Calling’, they mean ‘life’s purpose’, by what one does and where they feel they belong. Religious people associate calling to the divine, and non-religious people lean towards some form of mysticism or ascribe this to some spiritual power that guides them. Atheists also feel this need for calling, and they may derive it from their passions, abilities and relationships.
This quote, “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” which is ascribed to Fedrick Neitsche, points out that we humans search for meaning and purpose to make sense of our lives. In modern culture, the pursuit of one’s purpose or calling is significant.
Finding and fulfilling the purpose of our lives comes up in myriad ways in all the seasons of our lives. Those who fail to find it will live in quite desperation and aimlessness. However, there are many others to whom pursuing pleasure, power, or possession is all that matters. Beyond that is no real purpose. They more or less reject the idea of calling or life’s purpose.
Religion and experience seem to have provided man with some answers. However, Os Guinness writes, “modern individualistic society seems to be the very first to have no agreed-upon answer to the question of the purpose of life.”
If true, why are the modern standards of success for wealth, fame, power, sex, position, knowledge, and friendships failing to provide meaning? Its inadequacies are growing clearer day by day. Walker Percy rightly said, “You can get all A’s and still flunk life”.
From a biblical point of view, when we say Call, we also should assume a caller. If God is the creator, it is reasonable to believe that he created everything with a purpose. Therefore, understanding God’s purpose or will is of utmost importance.
From a biblical point of view, calling not only points to God’s will, but it also shows that He takes the initiative to reveal it to us and helps us live it out. Then answering the call of our creator is of utmost importance. It is the most comprehensive reorientation and the most profound motivation in human experience.
Whether one is a Christian or not, traditional or modern, believe it or not, living with a sense of purpose is central to human experience. Are you serious about surrendering to your creator’s call, or keen to follow the other calls you hear around you?
Part 2: The Call — What do we mean by ‘Calling’?
