Fair warning: this post is going to be a bit personal. But, hopefully it helps you, dear reader, with your calling.
Do you ever read something or see something on social media and next thing you know you’ve been pondering it for hours? Or days?
Surely I’m not the only one that does this? (I dunno, I could be an oddball over here…)
Yesterday, as I was scrolling social media, I read a post that’s left me thinking, and considering, and then thinking some more. I wish I knew who the original author of the post was so I could link it. But, to paraphrase, the post said something like:
“If you’re called to encourage the brokenhearted, you will experience a broken heart. If you’re called to be a help to the lonely, you’ll experience loneliness, too.”
There was more to that post, but you get the gist. Basically, whatever the Lord has called you to do, you best believe you will experience what you’re helping others overcome. And you best believe you’re going to have to fight to walk in your calling to do it, too. (More on that in a second.)
A personal experience
Friend, if you’re a faithful reader of my blog, you may have noticed that my blogging has been rather sporadic for the last several months. This definitely hasn’t been intentional on my part.
The truth is, trying to write an encouraging post has been… well, it’s been hard.
Several months ago, I wrote a post about discouragement and what to do when a big ol’ box of discouragement arrives at your door. Discouragement, as we know, is a trick of the enemy of our souls meant to get us down and stuck in a rut.
Friend, I’m pretty sure over the last few months, I’ve been delivered a whole 18-wheel trailer load of it. There’s been so much of it on a daily basis, it’s been hard to see (much less, be) the light.
Forget about trying to write anything. It just was not happening.
And then, I got to thinking, “What’s the point of blogging anyways?” I felt like these posts weren’t helping anyone. And I could feel my pen (well, keyboard, I suppose) being snatched away by the words of others.
I guess you could say, the enemy of my soul tried to smother the light, so I couldn’t shine my light and try to encourage and point someone else to the foot of the Cross.
And you know what, it almost worked.
I was so discouraged that I considered shutting down my blog and forgetting it. Even though I clearly heard the Lord tell me to keep blogging.
There’s a lesson here
Do you know what I’ve learned through all of it?
No matter how hard the winds may blow and no matter how much discouragement shows up on your front porch, when you give it the Lord daily and look to Him for help, He is always right beside you.
The Lord is always ready, willing, and waiting to help you. Always.
Sometimes, to truly walk in your calling and be the help the Lord needs you to be for others, you have to experience what you’re helping others overcome. You have to learn to trust the Lord and you have to learn to lean on Him daily.
To be the encourager, you have to know what discouragement is like. And you have to experience encouraging yourself in the Lord like David did before you can encourage someone else to do the same.
To be the helper, you have to know what helplessness truly feels like. You have to learn to look to the hills for help before you can point someone else in that direction.
And to recognize someone who needs help in the storm, you have to know what a soaking rain feels like. You have to learn that sometimes rain is a good thing.
Be on the defense for your calling
And then there are other times when you have to fight to walk in the path the Lord called you to walk in. You have to be in defense of your calling.
There will always be someone or something trying to distract you from the thing the Lord has asked you to do.
If you’re a singer, there will always be someone or something trying to steal your song.
A preacher? There will always be someone or something trying to steal your message.
If you’re someone who knows how to pray and get a prayer through, there will always be someone or something trying to make it hard to pray.
And if you’re a faith blogger like me, there will always be someone trying to snatch your pen and persuade you to put it down.
Keep going. Don’t give up. You are needed. The calling on your life is important. Be in defense of it. Click To TweetFriend, don’t give in. Keep going. Because when discouragement hits, you can guarantee it’s just the devil trying to stop you from doing something good for the Lord.
If you’re discouraged, keep going. If you’re in a battle and you’re trying to deflect fiery darts, or you’re just trying to find the path the Lord put you on, keep going.
There’s a reason the Lord called you to do the thing He’s asked you to do. I know at times it may not look like it and I know how discouraging it can be at other times, but your efforts for the Lord do not go unnoticed. The seeds of hope you’ve planted in good faith, they’re growing and will eventually bloom into a blessing for someone. Or maybe even you.
Keep going. Don’t give up. You are needed. The calling on your life is important. Be in defense of it.
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P.P.S. These blog posts I’ve written? You know the ones I didn’t think anyone actually read? The ones I was about to remove from the Internet and say, “phooey with it?” If WordPress stats are any indication, they’re being read daily. And that, friend, is all the Lord’s doing. Because I have barely touched anything blog-related in months. You truly never know who the Lord will reach through your efforts. Keep going.
Thoughts?