From Jerry Sittser and his book ‘The Will of God as a Way of Life’:
I did not intend to become a writer. I did not even want to be a writer. The very idea made me feel as insecure as a stage actor with a bad memory. How I fell into writing—and it was about as accidental as a fall—says something important about how we discover our calling, or perhaps how our calling discovers us.
I served as a college chaplain in my late twenties. Soon after arriving on the campus of Northwestern College, I initiated a discipleship seminar for Christian students. The students who attended the weekly seminar became leaders of small disciple groups on campus. To prepare them to lead groups, I decided to prepare weekly study guides they could use. The resource I provided had an immediate and practical purpose. I did not consider what I wrote each week as real “writing” because I did not intend it for formal publication. I was like a weekend gardener trying to raise enough food to provide for my family. The suggestion that I was a farmer would have been ridiculous to me. ”
The college occasionally invited speakers to visit the campus for a few days to address students, faculty, and members of the community. One of those speakers was Leighton Ford, an evangelist with Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He conducted several Evangelistic rallies at the college and in the community. One morning, while sitting in my office, he picked up a few of the copies of the study guides I had written and perused them. He liked what he read and suggested I try to get them published. He even recommended a publisher he thought would be appropriate.
“That sounds wonderful,” I said politely, “But who am I to them?”
He smiled, “It doesn’t matter who you are, It matters who I am.” Then on his initiative, and without my knowledge, he wrote friends at the publishing house and told them about me. One of the editors contacted me and asked me to send my study guides to him. They became the foundation of my first book, The Adventure: Putting energy into Your Walk with God.
Leighton Ford took the initiative — it was an act of pure generosity on his part. But I had laid the groundwork for years by writing material that had an immediate and practical purpose and nothing more. I was fulfilling my calling as a writer long before I published anything. I became a published author by writing before there was any thought or possibility of publication.
Discovering our calling can be like going on a journey. The experiences we have along the road have a cumulative effect, preparing us for future service. In other words, knowing God’s will requires more than mere information about what we might do in the future, as if we were soldiers being given orders for the next tour of duty. We come to know the will of God. . . . . . .through experience itself. [as a life calling]. . . .We discover in the same way an artist paints on canvas or a person falls in love. We learn by trying, by experimenting, by doing. Our calling is inseparable from the journey. In one sense it is the journey.
Experience teaches us, prepares us. and seasons us for what lies ahead. If we are attentive to God in this present moment—which we have already learned, is the primary will of God for our lives—we will begin the glorious process of that discovery. We will learn as we go and be ready for what lies ahead. We will grow in character and conviction, gain necessary skills, and become mature. In due time our sense of calling will emerge, unfolding like a glorious landscape that we see on a road trip across America. p. 169-70 ~Jerry Sittser, ‘The Will of God as a Way of Life’ (Zondervan: Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49530 USA) p.170-71
