Time for some “behind the scenes” of how things work here at Shed the Sunday School Glasses. I usually produce a new post once every three to four weeks, barring no earth-shattering catastrophes or overloads with other projects. This usually means I’m arbitrarily throwing words at a page and hoping they’ll stick at least a week or two in advance, taking the last few days before the post goes live to edit.
That hasn’t happened this time. This time, draft one is happening on the Wednesday before the post goes live and edits are happening on Saturday.
Now some of you are probably wondering why that’s a problem. After all, four days seems like plenty of time to write a short post like this, even with other writing projects on the go. But trying to cobble something together just before a deadline has never been my style. I’m a planner, and I’ve always tried to space out my work so that I’m not rushing the finished product.
The main reason I put off starting this time around is I kept waiting for a streak of inspiration. Usually, I find writing these Second Sunday Switch-Ups easier than the standard story posts. These posts don’t normally require a lot of research or reading; they’re more an opportunity to write randomly about some topic of interest. That’s not to say I’ve run out of topics – I have a list saved on my phone – it’s just that none were jumping out at me this time.
It’s like I was waiting for a topic to come up in conversation that I wanted to write about. Or maybe that I’d come across something at work that made me think, “Yeah, I could give my take on that.”
What I really could have used was a cue card dropped from the sky saying, “Write about ____________.”
This isn’t the first decision, let alone the most important, where I’ve wished for an answer on divine stationary. I remember going to a college and university fair in Grade 11 or 12. At each booth, the student representatives would ask, “So what do you want to study?” and I’d say, “I don’t really know yet,” and they’d say back, “That’s okay. You still have plenty of time to figure it out.” At every booth.
But as that “plenty of time” started to run out and I had to settle on a school, I found myself paralyzed into indecision. I had tried to keep my options open by applying to way too many schools. But like with choosing a topic for this post, the deadline was now a few days away and nothing was jumping out at me. I didn’t know which school to say “Yes” to. I wanted that cue card from heaven with the “right” answer. I wanted to know God’s will for my life!
That’s something we talk about a lot as Christians. We desperately pray that God would show us what He wants us to do. That He would point us in the right direction of what job to get and who to marry. That He would drop a cue card from heaven with how our lives are supposed to play out. But I’m not always convinced that’s how God works or that He’s got one specific plan for every single one of us.
He does in some cases. When Paul writes to Timothy, he describes himself as “an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God” (2 Timothy 1:1). God dramatically interrupted Paul’s life and set him on a totally new course – from Pharisee to apostle – and I’m sure God works in similar ways in people’s lives today. The unexpected calling to be a pastor or a vocational missionary comes to mind.
But in many cases, I don’t think God always sets us on such a particular path. When we’re presented with two good options about which way our life might go and we ask Him which is right or best, He often says, “Yes.”
You see, when the Bible talks about God’s will, it rarely talks specifics. Paul writes, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Notice how there isn’t anything there about career paths? There is an all-encompassing side to the will of God that we are to do right here, right now, in all our here’s and now’s.
Of course, there’s more to His will than these three things. There’s also involves loving Him, loving others, serving those in need, and a whole bunch of other important stuff. But again, none of these things are about specific vocational callings; they are about God’s calling for us in whatever vocation we find ourselves. They are about doing His will regardless of our current life circumstances.
Please don’t misunderstand me. We still have to make decisions, and prayer should still be our top priority in that decision-making process, even if He doesn’t make give us an obvious answer. But maybe we need to get away from trying to zero in God’s will for me and focus more on knowing and doing God’s will, period.
If God does have a specific plan in mind that will change the course of your life, you can bet He’ll let you know. But until He does, don’t sit around waiting for the cue card from heaven. Listen for His voice? Absolutely, but don’t let that stop you from living your life, pursuing the dreams He has given you (vocationally or otherwise), and above all, serving Him where you are!
It’s not the best metaphor, but this post wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t stopped waiting for inspiration. Life will pass you by if you wait around for a cue card that’s never going to come. And if we aren’t careful, looking out for that cue card might distract us from doing what God has revealed of His will.
Sometimes, you just have to sit down and write – to walk forward and act, knowing that He is with us and will keep us on track.
Amazing the inspiration that comes from writer’s block.
~Brentagious
