God sometimes calls people to do impossible things. These leaps of faith are obvious to our eyes— Christians leaving everything to become missionaries, starting nonprofits, standing up for the rights of those who cannot fight for themselves. Oftentimes, we look at these moments of faith, these great leaps into the unknown, and wonder when God will ask us to do something we never dared we could accomplish.
In those moments, when life is the everyday cycle of the mundane, when we are doing enough by going to church and reading our Bible and praying, it is a very easy thing to look up at God and tell ourselves that this is all God has called us to do. To become complacent with the realization that we have no “greater calling,” and that God is happy with us right where we are. Church, prayer, reading the word. This is all God is asking of us.
This is where you are wrong. Your calling from the one who loves you is not a grandiose declaration of faith, not a splendid self-sacrificing journey to seek out people in need. No, these things are callings without the capital "C." But God’s calling for every Christian is the same. He desires our hearts. This seems like a simple thing. We were taught in Sunday school from an early age that Jesus lives inside our hearts. And to this day, the saying has faded from a wide-eyed acceptance of a literal truth to a softened appreciation for the phrase’s metaphorical resonance. Isn’t that so nice? Jesus lives within our hearts.
But I’m not talking about co-habitation. God didn’t intend to share a space with you within your spiritual blood-pumper. His highest calling for you is complete and utter surrender. If you want to follow God you have to realize that shared space is not enough for Him. He wants you to give control of your desires, all of them, to Him. He wants to be your spiritual life-blood, to hold all the space inside your heart. And this is the toughest thing He will ever ask of you. The most profound leap of faith you can make is allowing someone else to dictate the desires of your heart.
In order to do this, you must relinquish control. You must decide to let go of whatever it is you are fueling your happiness with. Maybe it’s a job, success, money, friends, etc. You must allow these things to move over as your source of happiness and allow God to be your joy. He will sustain you in all things. Lose your job? You have eternal life. Fail? God has defeated the grave for you, his precious child. Fall into financial instability? God is your rock and your assurance. In all aspects of your life, you must allow God to be your joy in all things. This doesn’t mean you will always feel “happy.” But it does mean that you will have assurance and peace because you know that the One who created the heavens and the Earth is holding your heart, and that He will provide for you.
Doing this requires an intense amount of trust. I know this because I am going through the process of building that trust. It is not shameful to be afraid to give yourself completely to God. It is terrifying to believe in something you have never seen, to accept love from a being who is more vast than the universe. Building trust takes time, and effort, and communication. If you want to trust God, you must first know God through prayer and reading his word. Ask Him daily to grow your faith, and allow yourself to find joy in His presence. He longs for you to know Him and to trust Him with your heart.
When you realize that God is asking for your heart, and you give Him control, His desires become yours. His heart for the poor, the lost, the lonely, becomes yours. You will find yourself capable of immense measures of love, because God is your source. There will be no room for judgment of others, because without God, no one is saved. When you relinquish your heart to God, trust him completely, your faith is renewed every day because you have trusted Him with yourself, and He does not fail you. And with this peace of mind comes the realization that God is calling you to great things, though they may not always seem great, and you are now capable of heeding His call. Suddenly you've accomplished the impossible and you are ready to follow wherever He leads you.
“To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of His calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by His power.” 1 Thessalonians 1:11
