I heard some wonderful advice recently via an old friend and mentor regarding that classic conundrum: call. As in, what are we really supposed to do and be? What is the next thing we should say yes to, or throw our hat in the ring for?
Of course, this dilemma is lifelong... our calls (vocations, jobs, enthusiasms, identities) change over time, and we are always invited and challenged to lean into our growing edges, into the places where the new life is. Many people try to discern God’s will here, not as in “you must do something you may not like because God says so,” but... where is God inviting your gifts to come out of hiding... where can you find a fresh way to serve?
My friend, the Rev. Mark Anschutz, who was the rector at an Episcopal church in the mid 90s where I learned a lot and was frequently astounded and blessed, offered this advice regarding God and call:
We need to pay attention to whatever shot God fires across our bow. Especially in times of transition. That means the weird stuff, the utterly unexpected, the scary, the I-can’t-possibly-do-that stuff. We need to accept all these prompts, as Thomas Merton would say, “without refutation.”
And they may be strange or subtle prompts: advice from a stranger, a friend’s recommendation, a job ad that moves and excites. Especially notice when something is out of left field, or not totally engineered by you. And follow those slender threads.
This advice would be too sunny if it did not also have this caveat from my friend: That by going willingly in some surprising directions, you can land in some wonderful positions, yes; and you can also land on your face... in the land of rejection, lots of competition, hopes dashed. That does not mean you should not have tried, since again, the first shot across the bow is necessarily incomplete. Indeed, it’s only the first invitation to follow God knows where.
As you move into this new season called fall, resolve to be open to all the ways God tries to get your attention... all the promptings: the new and the scary, the awkward fadings and their implications. These pointed shots across the bow aren’t about war and conflict, but they certainly are wake up calls through and through.