Surrounded

Do you have those times in your life when you are surrounded by one message?  As if everyone received a memo from God saying if you encounter Gindi in your audience make sure you stay on point?  Regardless if that audience is the radio, television, Internet, blogs, or church.  How does God get these memos out? 

I am going through such a season.  Though the words used are different, and the speakers vary, the message is the same and I am surrounded by it:  YOU. ARE. BEING. CALLED.  You are being called.  Into an unknown.  Into a brand new frontier.  Into a place that may result in you being seriously uncomfortable.  But don't miss it - you are being called.

Let me just recap the highlights.  First, I heard a sermon by a guest pastor about being called to do something uncomfortable.  That pastor recommended a book which I've written about a couple of times.  As I have been reading that, I'm getting kicked upside the head about my calling.  My pastor preached this last Sunday on being called.  Oprah's final show (which I recorded for posterity) spent a whole segment on the idea of your calling and the need to listen to God whispering His directions to you before you get kicked upside the head (I wasn't even safe with Oprah).  Lysa TerKeurst's blog which I follow has been talking ALL WEEK about "The Cause Within You" and a man who wrote a book of that same title (all about finding the one great thing you were created to do in this world).  A couple of weeks ago Jonathan Acuff, a very funny Christian writer and blogger, came out with a book called Quitter which I now own but am terrified to read because it's subtitle is, "Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job and Your Dream Job." 

Seriously???  I mean enough is enough.  I get it.  I'm being called.  Can you just give me a sec to get a hold of this news before I'm supposed to act!?!!?!?  I am a planner.  I grew up with uncertainty at times in my life and it makes me love the KNOWN.  The comfortable.  The expected.  I am married to a planner.  We have very scheduled children.  I've done my job for 13 years (he's done his for 16).  It pays well.  It allows me to contribute to our family lifestyle which is comfortable.  What I'm being asked to do upends all this.  It gives me heartburn.  It makes me dizzy. 

I don't know what this all means right now, but I do know if you are being "surrounded" right now by a message, by God's memo to you, listen.  It may not be easy to hear, but at least listen.  Don't drown it out.  There's a reason that you and I are getting a message over and over and over again right now.  Let's try to avoid getting swallowed by a whale in our attempts to avoid it.

Jeremiah 29 - For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Jonah 1 - The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”  But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD...Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him. Now the LORD provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

I Samuel 3 - Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”