The 3 Keys To Persistence In Your Calling
Although many of us might have received a divine calling, at times it feels difficult to continue. How do we overcome doubt and fear and continue on in the good work? I look to one of the heroes of the faith for my own inspiration.
I speak of receiving my calling often. I experienced a powerful moment where I came upon a sudden understanding of exactly what I was made to do—speak and write about my experience of going from clueless in life to on-purpose and making an impact.
It’s been a life-changing process but it hasn’t been a straight shot. There have been plenty of false-starts and adjustments along the way so far. It’s understandable. Although I had a lot of latent strengths in what I was beginning I didn’t have any experience to hone it.
It takes time to figure out exactly what I’m supposed to do and how to do it. God gives the call but not the exact outline. As we proceed, the path does get clearer, though.
If you are on a new path in life but uncertain about the results you’re in good company.
The Story of Noah
I imagine it’s a bit like Noah getting the call to build the Ark. This is something that had NEVER been done before.
Noah had been given some basic instructions and dimensions but that’s it. We don’t read that there were any recommendations for tools, or materials, or methods. I don’t think there were any standard Ark construction manuals at the time. But, still, this massive vessel was completed. Many scholars think it took him at least 100 years to complete the work (He was at least 500 years old when he started).
Noah likely had plenty of reasons to give up, yet he remained obedient to the call. To be honest, I’ve experienced these to some extent in my journey and you might in yours too.
But God expects us to keep pushing forward in the work He has for us. The story of Noah in Genesis chapter 6 doesn’t have much detail about the period of time where Noah built the ark. But I think, with a little imagination, it can teach us three things about the struggle of pressing on.
1- Keep Pushing Forward Despite Uncertainty
Again, Noah was called to do something that had never been done before. If that were not daunting enough the scale of the project was monumental. Where would all the material come from and how would he get it there? How would he put it all in place?
I’m not sure that Noah had any real idea how to assemble an ark other than God revealed the process along the way. As he committed to the project in obedience I believe that God inspired him with the information that he needed to complete the work.
I think that only because it’s been a similar process for me. God called me to something altogether new, something that I had never done before.
All I had was the certainty that God had commissioned me to a new work and that was enough. I knew if I just started, the details would begin to be revealed and that is exactly what has happened.
Of course, I have Google and YouTube to help fill in some of those details but I had to rely fully on God to reveal the core message.
And in that way, I feel a bit like Noah. All I can do is put one foot in front of the other—or perhaps a better metaphor would be to keep stacking the timbers until the work is complete.
2- Keep Pushing Forward Despite The Taunts of Others
Can you imagine the jeers that Noah and his family experienced? The community must have thought of him as the crazy old boat-man. Just try to picture someone in your own neighborhood undertaking a project like this.
When you ask them what in the world they are doing they explain that God audibly told them that He was going to destroy the entire world (including you) and that he and his family and two of every kind of animal would be spared. Water was going to be filling the entire earth over the highest mountain tops and this enormous boat was going to save them.
You would surely think this was lunacy of the highest caliber. I’ve got to admit, I would.
And yet Noah continued. Despite the mocking, he labored for decades.
Now in the case of you and I, we likely don’t have people taunting us for a vision that God gave us. It’s possible on a small scale but I doubt too extreme.
What we do have to deal with however is what we think other people are saying about us.
It’s really easy for me to imagine the opinions of others so strong that I create a roadblock. In fact, this was one of the toughest challenges I had to overcome.
The struggle came in that I had always been a certain kind of person who acted a certain way. Now that I was feeling led down a different path my concern was what people would think.
I was afraid they would be talking about how I had done nothing in life but now was… blogging? They would be wondering what credibility I thought I had or that I must be thinking I was someone important now when I obviously couldn’t be.
My thoughts on the opinions of others were enough to almost stop me cold. Almost.
But I knew that my call was real. I could feel the certainty of what I was to do and the conviction that I had to proceed.
And I believe Noah felt that too.
Our loyalty to God and our trust in His plan must be enough to lead us through the taunts of others, real or imagined. God came through on His promise to Noah, He is doing so for mine, and He will for yours as well.
3- Keep Pushing Forward Despite The Length of Time
100 years is a long period of dedication. I’m not sure that Noah took vacations during that time period but I don’t sense the story implying any.
During that time, Noah certainly would have seen changes. Neighbors and relatives likely died, new ones were born, life went on.
It might have been easy to think that things were getting better. Maybe they took such a downturn that he thought what’s the use.
Over such a long span of time he had to be getting, well… tired. Bored. Frustrated.
With such a daunting task the end must have seemed so far away. Keep in mind that Noah really had no way of knowing that his contraption was going to float. That’s a long time to go without confirmation that your project was going to be successful.
But through all the years Noah remained faithful to keep pressing forward without those certainties.
As of this writing, I’m about two years into my calling. I’ve seen an incredible amount of progress. God has begun filling in the details as I’ve stepped forward in faith. But I’ve got a long time to go yet. I don’t have any real confirmation that it’s going to be successful. But I keep feeling the call and keep placing the timbers.
Take Away
If you are beginning a new and inspired direction in life you might have some struggle with the same three points that I suppose Noah might have faced.
You will obviously require some time and make some mistakes in the process. I think that’s ok—I don’t believe God ever expects perfection.
What God does desire is our obedience to the call. He wants to know we are all in even when we are unsure, if we fear the opinions of others, or if it just seems like too long of a journey.
I’ve faced these same struggles and will continue to do so. But you have to take steps to conquering them yourself.
There is no magic bullet other than to bite it—the bullet, that is. You must begin by taking that first shaky step. The thing about beginning is that if you just do it you will find that the answers will come, your negative expectations weren’t as real as you had imagined, and time will go quicker than you thought was possible.
God brought the animals, He brought the rain, and He fulfilled all the promises.
Although your story may not be as dramatic as Noah’s, God’s promises are just as strong. Be strong, too and step forward in courage. Complete the calling that God has given you.
Aaron Force is a blogger from Seattle, Washington. He writes to educate others about the nature of an expanded consciousness to evolve humanity. Aaron unexpectedly experienced his own profound awakening and ego transcendence in 2015 and soon understood that the qualities of his own experience (a greater expansion and evolution in his life) could be applied to mankind collectively.