Not Called to Cleveland, Called to Love

Lakewood street art

House hunting, church searching, neighborhood exploring, and people learning... each day it seems my array of thoughts can be "why are we in Cleveland?" to excited to see what is in store for us in this hardworking, gritty, resilient city.  I read an article by Jon Bloom yesterday and it really made me stop when I read.... “Jesus doesn’t want us to spend the life he’s given us today absorbed in the unreality of an imagined tomorrow." I don't want to spend my days wondering and waiting on what God will do when He is already and always at work. 

God said "only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him." (1 Corinthians 7:17) Each person is called. Not pastors or "people in the ministry". Each person leads a life to which God has called them. And God makes our entire life our callings. Callings are not careers or some job God gives us with a title. That would minimize God's ability to use us. Our primary calling is to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. So it is not behind a door we are waiting for God to "open or close." I've learned opportunities to serve, logistics, and families can move and change the course of our life that we didn't see coming. God was never surprised by these events and is sovereign over them all. But through each change in season, the calling we all posses has been the same. I heard the phrase growing up "called to ministry" but now that seems silly to me as we are all called to serve God and others. Some people might serve in a  teaching capacity at the church and be paid to study, teach the word each week while others might serve the church by greeting on Sundays and not be paid by the church as it doesn't take weekly prep time and instead work at a school, hospital, or factory. All called to serve, love and worship our Creator. 

Sadie's joy on our mother/daughter date

So remind me of this truth to not even use my circumstances, difficult or not, to disqualify me from God's assignment. Being present, active, engaged, and aware of how God is working around me and through me by the Holy Spirit. Not looking to the neighborhood we might live in and missing our current neighbors. Not wondering about which church we will settle in but praying for each pastor and his wife as we visit churches. Not trying to get people to like me at my new job, but loving them by caring for them. Not being distracted by worldly treasures and missing the little disciples in my life that are growing up way too fast! 

Cleveland Zoo