By Wilke den Hertog
In a previous column, I wrote about hope for the churches Marlies and I visited during our past furlough. We noticed a desire among many brothers and sisters to go out with the gospel. At the same time, there still seems to be a kind of brake with some. Can it be done? Is it so easy? Don't you have to be called to do that?
In this column, therefore, I would like to reflect a bit on vocation. Over the years (through the mission field), I have come to think about it differently. I certainly believe that God calls, only, is our idea of vocation as we know it in our churches really that biblical? Am I saying it right when I characterise our calling idea in our churches as: A passive waiting for God to call?
As a candidate, I was called and had to wait for an appeal. Even when I became a pastor, I had to wait for a possible appeal. Where do we find this system in the New Testament? Don't we in our churches think far too passively and expectantly about God's call?
At the same time, in our daily lives it is often very different. We are not passive at all when it comes to our choice of school, the choice of where to live, the choice of which job to take, the choice of our friends, holidays and so on. Then we are downright proactive! We are often very creative and take all kinds of initiatives.
Could it not be that God wants us to have that same attitude towards his will? Could it not be that God wants us to be just as creative and full of initiative when it comes to his kingdom?
Before we went to the mission field, we spent a year in England at a Bible school. There was another Dutch couple there who would go to Mali (and are now there). He once said to the class we were part of: 'I just think that God is calling us to go to Mali and I also think that if we make a mistake God will probably not be angry about it'.
What do you think? That if you or you undertake something for God and his kingdom, that God will get angry about it? Or could it be that that attitude is precisely the attitude God is looking for in you and me? 'Seek first the kingdom and its righteousness'.
I recently spoke to another missionary from our churches about vocation. He also put it quite simply: 'Often you hear, do I even have a vocation? Vocation! You have a mission, it's written in black and white in Matthew 28!'
This brings me back to those brothers and sisters who want to go outside. Don't worry about your vocation, of course you have it! Of course Jesus wants to use you and you! Get busy, go do something crazy, do something no one else is doing, start your own home group with the neighbours or your colleagues!
And if you made a mistake and God has other plans for you, He certainly won't get angry because you made a mistake when you wanted to work for Him.
Instead, shouldn't we give our daily lives to Him and let Him factor into all our choices: our choice of school, the choice of where to live, the choice of what job to take, the choice of our friends, holidays and so on ...?
