(From Kent. . . .I know this is long (there is more to come). . . and intense. I also feel that this message from Jerry Sittser is profound and may answer puzzling questions and open doors to those who are willing to put forth the effort and embrace the truths he shares.) (Continuing from * Discovering Our Calling.)
From the book “the Will of God as a Way of Life” Jerry Sittser wrote:
Of course, talent alone is not enough. It provides a clue, but it falls short of being sine qua non (an essential condition; a thing that is absolutely necessary) of a calling. On the other hand, some people will never be able to use all the talent they have. Some athletes could play more than one sport professionally, though the demands of competition force them to stick to only one. Some students could master any subject they care to study, but time does not allow it. So how can talented people decide what to use of their sizable reservoir? A sense of calling will help them sort it out.
On the other hand, some people excel in lines of work for which they appear to have only a modest ability. Steve Largent was for many years the Seattle Seahawks’ most successful receiver. He never claimed to have great ability, and opponents agreed. But Largent had savvy and love for the sport, which compensated for his average talent and turned him into an accomplished professional football player. The same is true of John Stockton, point guard for the Utah Jazz. He is barely six feet tall, a virtual midget for a professional basketball player. He is not particularly fast or strong. Yet he has set the NBA record for assists and steals, and he has helped to lead the Jazz into the NBA playoffs almost every year he has played. His mastery of the sport surpasses what his modest abilities would seem to allow.
We note the same phenomenon in the Scriptures. Paul admitted that his ability as an orator was inadequate for the task, that his presence as a speaker was anything but impressive.4 If we were to reduce Paul’s abilities to a resumé, we would not have considered him for the job. But Paul was dogged and determined. He worked harder than all the other apostles and endured suffering of every kind.5 He refused to give up. How do we explain someone like Paul? Abilities and background alone do not tell the whole story. His power came from another source. It came from God.~Jerry Sittser, The Will of God as a Way of Life (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2004). 176-77 (continued next with. . . .
Life Experience
