Note: This is the fourth in a series of five reflections. The series begins here.

If God’s calling us to specific tasks (see Eph. 2:10), how do we know what they are? It sounds like a high-stake guessing game. What job do I take? Which people do I help? Do I volunteer for this or for that? Whappens if I get it wrong?

First, we pray. God answers prayer. Sometimes his answers are clear and come quickly.  Often we wait and wonder.  But sometimes he responds through our experiences. This is where the words from the crowd to Bartimaeus (see the previous reflection) comes into play.

“On your feet!” (Mark 10:46). God calls us to get up and get moving. Learn by doing. If God’s not writing his answer on the wall, try something. If it doesn’t seem right, try something else. Often, it is through these experiences that God shows us the path he’s laid out for us. Often, it’s only in hindsight that we see how he guided us exactly to the tasks and place he created for us.

Keep in mind, too, that God’s also called us to the places where he’s already put us. Even as you’re seeking a job better suited to your gifts, you can serve God and others through your current job. Even as you’re praying and waiting for answers, today you can serve your family, the people who live next door, and the people who cross your path.

If we don’t figure out what tasks God is calling us to, will he be angry? Will we have failed? No. He is a loving Father. He picks us up, dusts us off, and sets us back on our feet again. We will never be perfect; on our own, we can’t measure up to his standards. Sometimes I think he actually calls us to failures, because failure teaches as much if not more than success.

Our God is full of grace. So all our serving, and our discerning how to serve, can be filled with joy, not anxiety. More on that in the next blog.

Consider: What have you learned through the “school of hard knocks.” Where do you see God’s hand in those experiences?

Read: Psalm 22, a psalm of David. After felling the giant Goliath, and before he became king, David was an outcast, in danger of death. His anguish and his continued trust in God are both in evidence in this psalm.

Pray: God, there are so many choices, so many different paths in this life. In between prayers, help me be “on my feet” in service, learning by doing. Amen.

This is the fourth in a series of five reflections titled, “Cheer Up! On Your Feet! He’s Calling You!” The series begins here.