Called by God?

What does a twelve-year-old boy know about “the call of God”?

Even as I ask that question, I’m confident there is no simple answer! A calling is much more than knowing something intellectually. It goes far beyond the brain’s activity and visits places in your being that you never knew existed.

Recently I lost the man in my life that looked the most like Jesus of anyone I've ever known. Lucky for me, he was my dad. I get it. Not everyone has the privilege of their dad and hero being one and the same. For that privilege, I am immensely grateful!

My mom was diligently working in the kitchen when I marched into her space with a chip the size of Texas on my teenage shoulder. A mom has a way of “knowing” things. Before I could speak a word, her right hand shot up and out. Her flat palm projected toward me with that universal sign - STOP! And, of course, I did! It was either comply or die at our house. Then she delivered the best advice I would ever learn. She said, “you need some fresh air”!

She spun on her heels like Clint Eastwood in the movie Pale Rider. Her inquisitive eyes scanned the classroom and then landed on me. I was as dumbfounded as she and couldn’t believe what had happened!

There she stood amidst the piles of charred wood and broken brick. Thin lines of ascending smoke whispered again, a reminder of the desolation that a fire can bring to a household. Her innocent six-year-old eyes puddled with un-spilled tears as the camera came in for a close-up. “What will you and your family do now that you have no home?” the news reporter asked. “Oh, we have a home.” She said. “We just don’t have a house to put it in.”

Their actions spoke loud and clear that they were in love. They each wore a matching oversized sweatshirt that read in extra bold letters, “Engaged AF”. Without thinking I naively said, “Oh you’re engaged and in the Air Force! How cool is that?” From the response of hilarious laughter that came from the younger group around me, I knew once again that I’d fallen headlong into a cultural communication gap. In this case it was more like a chasm.