Simple Calling

I was sitting at Kebaba today, talking with my friend Julia who is recently back from college. It was a good time--we chatted about life, and goals, and callings, and motorcycles...it was just a time of encouragement and uplifting.
As I left, I pondered the whole "callings" thing. I tend to think of life callings as something big, flashy, or glamorous. Or super spiritual. One or the other. Or both. But I almost never think of callings as small things.
But I'm starting to realize, that it's in the small things, that God's calling becomes most evident. For example, God has called me to write Hosea, but He's also called me to finish school, to be a friend, a sister, a nanny...etc. As I was talking with Julia, I realized that one of the most important callings He's given me is simply that of being a friend. Listening to, talking with, encouraging, crying with, laughing with...these are all aspects of being a friend. And these are all ridiculously important to God.
Sometimes the call of God isn't glamorous, flashy, or even obvious. In fact, so often we look for what we think our calling should be--for example, it seems very noble to be a missionary in a foreign country or to be a pastor, shouldn't that be my calling? Isn't it what's the hardest and most difficult road? While it's true that sometimes God's calling is the hardest, most challenging, and most stretching thing we can think, sometimes it's not. In fact, sometimes it's the very thing that comes most naturally.
Sitting in a coffee shop or eater, chatting about life, is the most natural thing in the world to me. And that's just as much a part of my calling as it is for pastor's to preach or missionaries to travel. It's just as much a part of my calling as writing Hosea.
Sometimes, what God is calling us to do isn't what we expect. It's not to go anywhere, or preach anything, or teach anyone. Sometime's it's simply to be who He created you to be right where you are and love the people in your life right where you're at.
And you know what? That's enough.

Barnes and Noble Bonding

Confession: I might possibly have gone to Barnes and Noble to do the massive pile of homework I have, and study for finals...and spent five and a half hours talking to Jenna instead. Okay, it wasn't simply talking. It was very deep heart-to-heart conversation, which ended up in both of us crying multiple times about our problems, self-esteem issues, and relationships with the Lord. We would of course decide to have this conversation in the middle of the cafe at Barnes and Noble right before finals. Go figure. However, it was a very healing conversation for both of us...all five and a half hours of it.
At one point, Jenna looked at me and said, "Wow. I feel as if a hundred pounds just lifted off my shoulders and went on to you." :-) Likewise, I always love talking to Jenna about things. She has the best advice. Even when she doesn't give any advice, her very presence is wisdom-inspiring. It's amazing how healing conversations can be. When there's so much junk pent up in your heart just ready to explode, it's good to talk it over with someone. And it was wonderful to realize that Jenna is struggling just as much as I am. It made me feel a lot less pathetic. Not that I'm glad that Jenna's life is hard, it's just nice to know that she's human too.
Sometimes, I think that's just it. It's not that are problems get smaller, or that we're any closer to answers, it's that we're not all alone anymore; we're not facing our mountains by ourselves. We might still be broken and pathetic, but at least we're broken, hurting, and pathetic together. I think that's why the Bible talks so much about friendship.
This leads me to my next confession: I definitely think relationships are WAY more important than homework.