The Mystery of God's Call

 The Mystery of God’s Call

Why has God created me? What am I called to do to fulfill the purpose of my life? These are the two questions we often ask ourselves when we are about to take a major decision in life or when we are in a dilemma and frustrated. God’s calling is often very vague and beyond what we can comprehend.

‘I, therefore… beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called (Ephesians 4:1). God wants us to know Him, love Him, and serve Him. Each of us knows God uniquely, loves God uniquely, and serves God uniquely. We are all called for different tasks and we all have different gifts with which we have to fulfill God’s calls. To fulfill one’s calling, we need to have commitment, perseverance, faith, and obedience.

God’s call and our aim or dream are not always the same. God’s call is what we are created for, is what we should contribute to the world, is what we are called to be, is what our soul yearns for. Our aim or dream may not be God’s call. God's call does not make us happy and makes others unhappy, it does not make us unhappy and makes others happy. God’s call always fosters love in and around us. The fruit of following God’s call is love, peace, joy, satisfaction, fulfillment, and contentment. 

Fulfilling God’s call is not only for the good of oneself but also for the world. If we do good things only for the sake of God and not out of love for God and our brethren, it is incomplete because we may not be able to see the goodness in the thing we do and we may not be able to enjoy the fruit of doing good things. One of the best ways to answer the calling is to give without any expectation, look with an unbiased eye and an unjudgemental mind, listen with understanding ears, and love with heart unconditionally.

Sometimes, God has a special call for some people for a special mission. God’s divine call may come directly or indirectly. God’s way of bringing His people to Himself is mysterious. He called the unwilling Jonah to be his pro the same, He even went to the extent of sending a big fish to swallow Jonah and take him to his mission. He called His persecutor St. Paul to be the greatest missionary of the Gentiles. He struck an aspiring knight with a cannonball and called him to be His Knight. As ordinary as we are we may not experience the extraordinary call but all of us have a unique call from God, to contribute something to the world. 

The call of God often comes along with the idea of the world afterlife. Fearing the mystery of life after death, many of us turn to God.  We believe the call of God is also the call to be with God in Heaven after our earthly mission is done.

 “Many are called few are chosen” (Matthew 22:4). But how do I know that I am called? And the more difficult question is, am I chosen? Dismas the notorious thief who was crucified on the right side of Jesus Christ was chosen to be in heaven at the last hour of his life, whereas Judas Iscariot who was called by Jesus and who had followed Jesus Christ for three years and had witnessed all the miracles and listened to all the teachings of Jesus was not chosen to be with Jesus Christ in the last hour.

 Is our destination, a fate set by God or does our destination lie in the choices we make and in our hands? “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love” Galatian 5:13.

  Sch. Charles