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Today, I would like to reflect on life’s calling.
What is calling? Why is it important? What does calling do to my life?
Calling is not simply doing what God asks us to do. Then what is calling?
Let us learn about calling by reflecting on this very important person in the Old Testament. Moses. I am sure you all know who Moses is.
Moses is the one who made Israel Israel. He gave the true identity to Israel.
He is the one who brought ten plagues in Egypt. He is the one who parted the Red Sea. He is the one who received Ten Commandments and gave them to his people.
He is probably the most important person in the history of Israel. Moses’ legacy began in today’s passage.
But Moses, whom we encounter in today’s passage, was an ordinary man. He was not a priest. He was not a prophet. He was an ordinary shepherd.
This ordinary person encountered an extraordinary situation. Since then, he has encountered many extraordinary events.
Moses’ life can be divided into three periods. First 40 years and second 40 years, then last 40 years.
What was the first 40 years like? Where was he?
He was in a palace. He was a prince. He enjoyed all kinds of privileges and power. His life was not just comfortable but luxurious. He didn’t have to do anything.
His circumstances made him who he was. Life was good but he lived in a la-la land.
What was the second 40 years like? Where was he?
He was in Midian very settled with wives and children. Green green grass home. He was a humble shepherd. But he enjoyed it. Probably he enjoyed more than his life in a palace.
It was not like the first 40 years where his circumstances made who he was. In the second period, HE made the circumstances. He made sure that his life was safe.
At the end of his first 40 years, he had a traumatic experience. He thought he could help his fellow brothers but that backfired on him. He had to leave his privileged life and became a fugitive.
At one time, his circumstances made him a prince, but later, his circumstances made him a fugitive. He woke up from his illusion. It was a wake-up call.
So, in the second 40 years, he made sure that he would not get into any dangerous situations. HE CREATED HIS ENVIRONMENT IN THAT WAY. He didn’t have privileges or power like the first 40 years, but he was very comfortable.
But his calling was completely ignored.
Not only his calling was ignored but God was absent from Moses’ awareness. A very self-focused life.
His comfort and his safety – that is the only thing that was important. That was his life goal. Nothing else mattered. It was a life of denial.
The first period was a life of illusion. The second period was a life of denial.
What is the essence of human life?
It is not just comfort, safety, power, and privilege.
Human beings are created with a sense of calling. We are created to do something with our life. When God created Adam and Eve, he told them to take care of the creation He created.
What were the last 40 years like? Where was he?
He was in the wilderness. He encountered all kinds of problems.
We can’t say he enjoyed it in the way we typically use the word “enjoy.” But it was the most meaningful period in his life. This last 40 years made Moses be Moses. He felt the living.
The Bible is not interested in the first two periods. It summarizes two periods in 2 chapters. But for the third period, the Bible allowed 137 chapters.
In the third period, he met God.
His circumstances did not shape his life like the first period. Like the second period, he didn’t shape his circumstances. In the third period, God shaped his life.
God led his life. His life was much more difficult than the first two periods, but he lived out his full potential. He experienced wonderful things in his life that he had never experienced before. He saw that life was much bigger than he had experienced. He never realized such marvellous things were possible.
Life’s calling is not what you make up. It is not what you choose. It is what is given to you.
This is what Jesus said to the disciples.
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. (John 15:16)
In Moses’ case, God initiated the whole thing. It was God who called him. It was God who appeared to him.
St. Paul didn’t choose his calling. He was going in the opposite direction. Then God appeared to him and called him.
Jonah did not choose his calling. Him too. He ran away in the opposite direction. But God created a situation where Jonah had no choice but to face his calling.
Calling is not just about what to do. Calling is your life.
In his life of calling, Moses encountered God. He encountered his reality. He encountered his true self.
What Moses saw in his life of calling was not all pretty and pleasant. He saw the rebellion of the people. He saw how little people’s faith was. He saw how ugly people can get.
He saw how inadequate he was. He saw how impatient he was. He saw how small he was.
In the wilderness, he experienced hunger and thirst. He encountered all kinds of dangers. Every time people faced danger, they complained and tried to even replace God with a golden calf. He saw it all.
But at the same time, he saw God working in his life very clearly.
God protected them with pillars of cloud during the day and with pillars of fire at night. He gave them manna so that they wouldn’t starve. He even gave water from the rocks.
God was always ahead of them. In every situation, Moses saw God working in his life.
First two periods, God was totally absent in Moses’ awareness. But in the third period, Moses felt God in every situation.
Moses’ relationship with God was so intimate that the writer expressed that in this way.
If there were prophets among you,
I, the Lord, would reveal myself in visions.
I would speak to them in dreams.
But not with my servant Moses.
Of all my house, he is the one I trust.
I speak to him face to face,
clearly, and not in riddles!
He sees the Lord as he is. (Numbers 12:6-8)
My friends, calling is not just about what to do. When you embrace your calling, your eyes will be opened, and you will see what God is doing in every situation.
You are so intimate with God and you feel what God feels. You see God’s guiding hand in your life. That is what calling is. Calling is a life journey with God.
A safe life – it is not the reality. It is an illusion. A lot of things can happen that shake up your safety. Like Moses, we discover that the safe and predictable life we construct can be shaken in a moment.
We are shocked by the US tariffs imposed on us. Even the name of Lake Ontario is threatened. People in the auto industry are worried. A safe environment is an illusion.
But let us trust God. God will provide you with what you need. God will speak to you. God will protect you. God will guide you.
Let us think about those who are oppressed and suffering around us. Let us always be in solidarity with them. Let us keep the good faith. That is what life’s calling is.
We don’t know what the next forty years will bring. We don’t know what will happen to our economy, our workplaces, our families, or our communities. We cannot build a life around the promise of safety.
But we can build a life around the promise God gave Moses: “I will be with you.”
The foundation of calling is not our courage, competence, or certainty, but God’s presence.
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