Sit on it.
Posted on November 9th, 2007 by Heidi
Sometimes our problem is that we’re looking for too many legs.
According to the mentor of one Calvin Seminary student, discovering God’s call on your life is like putting legs under a stool. A stool, he says, only needs three legs.
LEG #1: An internal sense of calling.
LEG #2: Affirmation of this calling through wise people who know you well.
LEG #3: Experiences that confirm this calling.
Once you’ve got three legs for your stool, all you need to do is sit on it. Don’t look for more legs, said the wise old pastor. You’ve got three. That’s enough.
Are you looking for more legs? Do you agree that three legs are enough? Is this advice too simple? Or is it just simple enough?
Hmmm…I really like this concept. I think that if we begin looking for more reasons to go into ministry after we already have the three legs we’ll continuing looking for reasons forever. How many reasons or legs do you need? If you keep looking for more and more confirmation, when will you finally be satisfied and just sit down on the stool and DO IT? There are always a million reasons why we shouldn’t do something. I think that when you begin looking for more and more reasons why you should go into ministry you begin to doubt your calling in the first place. In times like this, I don’t necessarily seek new confirmation, I just remember the ways in which I was confirmed in the past. Three legs are all that we need, but sometimes we need to simply take time and remember those three legs. I think this analogy is just simple enough
I agree…just simple enough.
I especially appreciate that second leg - “Affirmation of this calling through wise people who know you well.” Without my trustworthy pastor-mentor giving me that strong nudge to consider pastoral ministry seriously, I think I would have tuned out the other, generic “Yeah, I could see you as a pastor” comments from others.
Put another way, the stool is a helpful, constructive upgrade to the wobbly two-leg “Inner calling — outer calling/confirmation” setup that gets mentioned often.
Thanks!
Wondering if the first leg should be the God’s word? I mean, perhaps with ministry it’s a little different - although I suspect there may be some ministries out there that don’t fit with the biblical picture of ministry?? But certainly with discernment in general, I think we need that particular leg. I was always taught it this way:
Check it with the Bible
Check it with your Christian community
Check it with your inner sense of calling
Check it with your experiences
that would be a four legged stool
Just a thought.
You’re so right. This is such a confirmation. You do not need anything else.
I walked around for sometime praying for clarification if I was feeling what I was feeling. The Lord placed me with this 87 year old Rev. that just started confirming some things. Then we get a new Pastor and he’s making something remarks. WOW! Even at some places certain people would call me Minister Roman. Of course, I correct them.
I am being placed in certain places for specific opportunities to minister to people. WOW!
Thanks. I’m moving forward. I don’t need anything else.
God Bless.