Misty, the beautiful puppy was so willing to learn. She soon learned to come to me when I called her, especially when she knew I had treats in my hand.
Then she matured into her doggy teens. I would call her and she would acknowledge me by looking up. It looked like she was deciding whether it was important to obey or not. She would look at me, and if it seemed like there was no immediate issue, she would finish what she was doing, usually smelling the undergrowth and then come in her own time.
She grew out of her doggy teens and started to obey quickly. She came when she was called and didn’t necessarily need treats to do so. We had a connection in which she wanted to please me.
Misty reminded me of how we can respond to the call of God.
Maybe we respond to God’s call because he gives us treats. Maybe we acknowledge that He has called us, but we put it off, while we finish what we are doing. We decide whether it is important to obey immediately.
We may walk closely alongside God and respond to Him because we trust Him and want to please Him. We want to walk closely to Him.
Photo credit: dogwizard.com
Churches can also respond in similar ways.
Maybe we do what God wants us to do in order to get treats. We think that obeying God will bring us blessing, prestige and success. Maybe we put some things off because we have something more important or satisfying to do. Maybe we do what most people appreciate and we only “think about” doing the less exciting things. Maybe we do the things that get more attention, and we justify it by saying that we are bringing more glory to God. We make our own decisions about what is important, rather than immediately obeying the call of God.
We say to ourselves that we must prioritize. We say that we are being sensible.
Many churches acknowledge that they should include people with disabilities. They may acknowledge the need, but often there seems to be more important things to do first. They look at the needs of the majority, and state sincerely that they will get around to looking at how to include this minority group.
We can make our own decisions about what is important, rather following the call of God. Maybe you or your church are being called to provide for those with a disability, those with a learning disability or those with mental health issues.
Jesus obeyed His Father immediately.
Often, He was called to minister to the one person. The Samaritan woman by the well in John chapter 4, or Zacchaeus up the tree In Luke chapter 19, or Nicodemus who came to Jesus at night in John chapter 3. He did not just look to minister to the majority. Individuals are important, and often through them, other people are reached.
We are told to care for the widow and the orphan, those who in New Testament times had so little support. Similarly, I believe we are told to care for families who are struggling with a child with a disability, or the person who has mental health issues.
God may be impressing on your heart or the heart of the church that you need to provide for them. We can easily say we will be there in a minute, or when we have finished something else that is “vitally important.” A few days or a few weeks to wait may not seem long to us, but for those struggling, one day may seem like a lifetime.
It is so easy for churches to run like businesses. There are financial considerations, events to organize, services to arrange. These are all good and necessary, but we need to listen to the gentle prompting of the Holy Spirit. God may be calling you to minister to the struggling and the marginalized, those the world may have forgotten, but are in the center of God’s heart.
Recently I have been struck by those who obeyed immediately in the Bible, when they were called by God.
Numbers chapter 10 tells of how the Israelites under Moses obeyed the Lord. Verse 18 says “At the Lord’s command the Israelites set out and at His command they encamped.“ In the New Testament, Jesus calls Simon Peter and the other fisherman. Verse 11 says, “they left everything and followed him.” And Jesus, of course, always obeyed His Father, even to death on the cross.
Are we too busy to obey God’s call? Are we too involved in ministering to the majority that we forget the minority? Is God calling the church to reach out to the marginalized, the struggling, those with learning disabilities or mental health issues? Are we listening to the gentle prompting of the Holy Spirit?
Whose agenda are you following?
Are we willing to put aside our own agendas? Are we responding immediately when Jesus calls us to follow Him?
Sue Sutton has nearly 50 years of experience working with people with learning disabilities. She has developed training programs for people working with a variety of learning disabilities and mental health issues. Sue is the author of “Living Fulfilled Lives: Empowering People With Learning Disabilities.” Connect with her on Facebook.
