Will Be Now...

One trend amongst Christians which I have had my doubts about, is the intense obsession with finding out what your "calling" is. While I agree it is good that we search for what we should be doing, and where we will fit best in the greater whole of God's Kingdom, it seems we are missing the trees for the forest.

God certainly calls us to higher and purer things, and He calls us to bring His Kingdom to this earth, but it was no one less than Christ also told us that "...the kingdom of Heaven is within you..."

So why this chasing after ethereal tomorrows? Why this obsession with what we might be? Why this focus on finding out what we should be doing with our lives?

As you might be able to tell, this group of questions could take up an entire book of social psychology. Perhaps I could offer my thoughts.

We need to see that God is here, and is present in our lives. Not only will He be with us, He is with us. The psalmist puts it pretty bluntly,

If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me...

Not exactly a half-hearted assertion.

As a person much acquainted with worry, I know I'm not quite immune to this by any means. I would like to know just as much as the next man what I should do with my life. But I'm not going to get that from God just by asking. And besides, is that the point?

Maybe the point is really that God is here with us, and leads us by the hand. And that is much more comforting than any self actualization book in my opinion. God is our very present help in a time of trouble. He takes us by the hand, and leads us towards the promised land.

Now I Shall Show You The Most Excellent Way...

Beyond what St. Paul says about what love is, I believe there is a very good reason why he says it is the greatest of the three virtues.

I can clearly remember one day I got back an exam. Not only did I have the dubious honour of having the lowest grade out of all the class, but I also had the singular distinction of getting the only zero. I was literally at the bottom of the heap. I was all alone, and could not quite figure out how I had got there.

I will not say that I was overly distraught, but I would say that I had fallen into a hole, and suddenly discovered that I did not have any climbing equipment on me. Not even rope.

But I wasn't left there.

"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things"

I got two calls that day, from friends. And the outpouring of love and encouragement gave me pause, and perspective.

This is why love is the greatest.

Unlike hope and faith, love does its work in the now, in our present darkness so to speak. It is the virtue that is with us always. Love is present, and love is powerful.

Hope is wanting things to get better. Faith is believing that someone can make things better. Love is making things better. That is why it is the most excellent way.