I’ve often used this space to wrestle through my calling, and I might wonder if some of you aren’t a little sick of the angst. I don’t know why I insist on writing so much about writing, but I’m guessing that while the specifics of my own vocational doubt and despair are particular to me and to the work I do, these peaks and troughs to which I bear witness are common to all of us, as we circle in and out of hope and discouragement, certainty and perplexity.
We are called by God to do good in the world in faithful response to his love—and we are often assailed by opposition from within and without. We don’t know if we’re good enough. We don’t see the fruit of our labor. We have other people reminding us that our ambitions are too small (or too big). In essence, we want to give up. Trust me: I’ve been there so many times and may still be there now. It’s the reason I’ve been looking for encouragement from the Scriptures (and the Spirit), and just recently, I think I found some real tangible help to abide the tensions of calling—and most importantly, to persevere.
This is the gift of God’s word to God’s people. We seek wisdom, and God gives it in sufficient measure.
Here’s where I want to take us today, as I offer this month’s biblical reflection on a small section of Acts 20 to paid subscribers. (Thank you again for the ways you’re investing in the words I’m offering.) As a reminder, these monthly posts aren’t a Bible study but rather a personal meditation on the text, which I hope might spur you to read and consider the text for yourself. Perhaps even more importantly, I hope these posts kindle your own desire to read the Bible regularly for yourself.
I think one essential question that surfaced for me from reading Acts 20, as it came up in my One-Year Bible, looks something like this: are we meant to “solve” the problems of discouragement we face in our vocation? Or are problems just part of what it looks like to show up in this embattled world of ours, small and human and yet held in the love of God?
Is discouragement the price for playing?
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