When discerning a call
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Scripture: Genesis 12:1-9
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Take It Further: Two-tenths of Possibility by Niki Mullis
Six months had passed since I had stepped into Warehouse 242—a space where I have felt pain, doubt, uncertainty, joy for what God is doing in my life, and the grace he gives me daily. Grace upon grace. I was grateful to be back again, for the chance to be where I feel God dwells and meets me—even if I am not too happy with him, for selfish reasons, on some of those Sundays I sit and listen to his words. Partly, because my conversations with God typically go something like this: “What is happening right now, and where are you having me go?” Or, “If you open the door, give me the courage and strength to get through whatever is on the other side.”
I do not know about you, but Sunday’s message went straight to my heart.
Hearing about Abraham’s story reminded me of Jonah’s story and of my own. At first, Jonah disregarded God’s command and went in the opposite direction from Nineveh. I can relate. For a good portion of my life, I opposed what I sensed to be God’s leading and fled from my own personal Nineveh. I spent ten years from my late adolescence into my early twenties doing drugs, going to raves, and selling drugs so that I could do more drugs.
I lived through those years to find my way to Jesus. I now know that He was always there. I had behaved like Jonah, getting angry with God for his compassion or provisions, and flailing around in despair, anxiety, doubt, loneliness, and grief. You get the picture.
Jesus told his disciples in Mark 10:29–31 that, though they would experience persecution, his followers also would experience blessings one-hundredfold—and then, eternal life. I never want to forget what Jesus can do and his purpose for me. After changing my lifestyle, I went on to graduate college—the first in my family to do so—and was one test away from entering what I thought was my perfect career. I failed the entrance exam by two-tenths of a point. Two-tenths. It was another chance, after a “Jonah tantrum,” to remember Abraham’s story. God used that fraction of failure to shift my career path toward one of greater meaning.
All things are possible with God. And I had “.2” tattooed on my wrist to remind me that he can shift my life—our lives—by the smallest of degrees.
I am a living example of his possibilities. When I am scared of what God may be calling me to do, I remember the two-tenths, and other times, that he used to lead me here today. I still become scared, doubtful, anxious, grief-stricken, and lonely at times. Yet I am grateful to experience those emotions because I am alive to feel them. Because of Jesus, I also have joy, laughter, hope, love, and deep connections with others. Grace upon grace.
More to Consider:
- Am I asking God to guide me in my decisions, or I am doing this for selfish reasons?
- Am I living in a way that would enhance God’s kingdom in my friendships, dating practices, familial and professional relationships?
- How am I being generous with what God has so generously given me (time, finances, spiritual gifts, etc.)?
- What is my personal Nineveh?
Song to Hear: Nineveh by Danny O’Callaghan
Niki Mullis, MA, LMFTA, LCAS-A, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate and Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist Associate. You can follow her on Instagram at The Brainy Therapist.
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We’d love to hear from you. Please share with us below your thoughts and insight. We would love to see Take it Further be a place where as a community we dialog, and together we all take the conversation further.
*Note: If you wish, you can look up this and other Bible passages online at youversion.com
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