Hearing the Call

International Volunteer Day

The call of God is not just for a select few but for everyone. Whether I hear God’s call or not depends on the condition of my ears, and exactly what I hear depends upon my spiritual attitude.

~Oswald Chambers

“I’m looking for a volunteer.”
Do those words fill you with dread? Do they remind you of school days when you didn’t know the answer and were terrified you’d be called on? For me, that panic always hit in math or science class. While I’d confidently raise my hand elsewhere, I wanted to shrivel up and disappear when my algebra teacher or, heaven forbid, my physics teacher asked a question.

Once I got to college, the fear subsided. By then, I knew my own strengths and could focus my studies on subjects where I was eager to join the discussion.

God has called us all to join the discussion. Toward that end, he’s given each of us gifts—gifts he wants us to share with other people. He needs butchers, bakers, and candlestick makers, and singers, lectors, and religious-education teachers.

But that’s not the whole story. If the only thing that mattered was expertise, he’d have made a lot more experts and many fewer lay people. While every ministry needs someone knowledgeable to lead it, it also needs people who are gifted with eagerness to help, to participate in the community, and to join the discussion with the goal of spreading God’s word.

Lord, help me to hear your call with open ears, an open heart, and a willingness to join the discussion.

To Ponder:God has made sure that we all have something to contribute, even if we haven’t quite figured it out for our selves. What volunteer opportunities will enrich your life and spirit as well as help others?
~ Lisa Lawmaster Hess

Purchase The Catholic Mom’s Prayer Companion today and get 20% off with FREE standard shipping. Use code PRAYTODAY.
Offer expires January 30, 2022.