The General Calling

When we talk about discerning the will of God we tend to focus on concrete leadings, such as whether to buy a particular piece of property, take a particular job, or marry a particular women.  The Puritans believed in two callings:  the special calling, such as the above, about what career to have or whether to move to Holland or America, and the general calling, to be generous; to be faithful to wife, and family, and church; to seek self-improvement through the Scriptures and prayer; to be honest and all the rest.

They considered the general calling to be more important by far, and some sermons suggest that the special calling should not be even mentioned in the same breath as the general at all it was so much its superior.

We are very daily, and we get caught up in the special leadings. Part of why I believe Blackaby's books are so dangerous for Christians is that he gives a passing nod to the deeper things of God, and in his discussion of discerning God's will gives clear preference to the idea that God must be leading you to found a church or a specific ministry that should be measured by how big it is.  Until you do that, your life will suck because you are ignoring God's will. He swears it is otherwise, but his "heartwarming" examples of success are all of that nature. 

I, the Assistant Village Idiot, give you permission to ignore such things. The general leading is all, the specific leading is a throw-in.  Such things are there only to get our attention, that there is something before us and - oh my goodness!- I should have been consulting the Holy Spirit from the beginning, shouldn't I! My almost-joking but deadly serious example is 

"Lord, should I take the job in Michigan or in Oregon?"

"Look closer."

"I have looked closer, Lord.  Michigan or Oregon? So much of what will happen in my children's lives depend on this, doesn't it?"

"I want you to treat your wife better.  That will have more impact on your children's lives. Michigan and Oregon are not even on my radar."