Call of God

DEAR GOD,
Deep down inside I long to be a part of something bigger than myself. I sometimes wonder why I was born and what I should be doing with my life. I believe my search for purpose is actually the result of you calling me to discover the reason you created me. I often wish, God, that yor call would come in the form of an audible voice or a miraculous sign in the sky. But that's not usually the way you communicate, and you dont alway call people to extra-ordinary, life-changing adventures. Your call is often a task right in front of me, something I can do today; it might be working in the nursery at church, caring for an ailing parent, giving kind instruction to a child, making dinner at a local soup kitchen, or volunteering at my child's school. Lord, you have given me special gifts and abilities, and you want me to use them now, not just five or ten years from now. Help me to answer your call to serve you and other people today so that I might be fully prepared when call me to something bigger. Thank you that in everything you call me to do, you will equip me with the desire, vision, support, and resources I need to carry it out.

*** May the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, foe he who calls you is faithful. I THESSALONIANS 5:23-24 ***

I like to think that each day brings and opportunity to serve the Lord by serving another. Wheather its in a simple "HELLO" to brighten someones day or taking a short phone call a little further and having a conversation. As a mother and wife Im called to serve four people daily. Im thankful to the lord for this. My daily tasks and conversations are not only for my family but for myself. The things I do to serve them, whether it be calming an upset child , resolving an arguement between two kids, stopping to offer a listening ear to my husband even though my kids are tugging at me for something are lessons that I can use to serve others.
As a girl my sister and I were taught that when you are invited to a large family gathering at someones house that we should not wait for the host/hostess to become in need of a set of extra hands. I guess you could say our mother taught us to be Marthas from the start :) With that said , Ive never been afraid to jump right in and give a helping hand. Ive heard" Oh no, thats okay your a guest. Dont be silly, you dont have to help clean up. NO. NO. NO. You shouldnt be doing dishes. " I know that anyones first thought is that my guest shouldn't be cleaning , I know I would think that, but i never felt that it applied to me. Im always happy to serve someone by helping clean up where it is needed. I know that I too need to sit at the feet of the Lord as much as others but during the time I'm cleaning and others are having fellowship, Im having my own quiet time with the Lord. It wasn't until my wonderfully sweet friend Laurie thanked me one day for cleaning up after our church groups monthly dinner, that I realized that my service as a wife and mother had turned into a service for others. I was pleasing the Lord by being a dutiful wife, and much more so by allowing that to spill over onto others by my simple actions. I never felt like I was robbed of time with others when I was happily cleaning the churches kitchen while others talked.

My time alone in the church kitchen was a fresh perspective. Washing dishes and lots of them; some sticky , greasy, and with stuck food , made me think of how the Lord cleans up our lives when they become hectic and difficult. Some lives reasembled some lives, easily made a new with a simple wash. Others with food stuck to the pan need a good soak and heavy hand for scrubbing. The end result always the same , a nice clean shiny pan. Being called by God can come in daily tasks and then those tasks can be used unknowingly to serve others and bless them. The best part is knowing that service and calling can spill over and happen again and again for you , for them and so on.