The Calling

 

“We will have to cancel Vacation Bible School this year.” The words rung in my ear, and the implication of cancelling bible school was a big one.  The problem?  Not enough volunteers to pull of the amazing bible school our church puts on each year.  The ladies of our church were on retreat when the word began to spread. 

 

You see, for church, bible school each year is an event.  The Market Place, is not just something kids come, get a few lessons and maybe sing some songs and go home.  No, it is a full experience.  Kids of various ages are placed in one of the twelve tribes of Israel, and that becomes their family for the week.  We take a section of the bible, or a story and live it out.  In the past, kids left the bondage of Egypt and crossed through the parted waters of the Red Sea.  They witnessed the walls of Jericho come crashing down.  Last year they followed a star to Bethlehem and saw, along with shepherds,  a baby in a manger.

 

This year was supposed to be the year we were to see the early ministry of Jesus.  We already had more kids pre-registered than ever before, but we did not have the workers.  This type of Bible School requires at least 50-75 volunteers.  So what to do?  The ladies on retreat began to pray, and I began to feel the tug to step up.

 

Up to this point, I have not yet volunteered.  I work crazy hours, I also watch my young grandson in the evenings. This year was no exception, plus this year, I am in the middle of writing two book proposals, am editing one of those books, and am in the middle of writing the other.  I work 50-60 hours per week, along with babysitting duties.  Plus, as I said to someone on the leadership team, “kids are not my gifting.”  None the less, I felt the call to step up. 

 

Isn’t that what God is asking all of us to do; to step up, and step out of our comfort zone?  To do what we think is impossible and watch Him work out the details, after all He is the God of the impossible is He not? 

 

I am happy to report that not only did we get enough volunteers to make VBS happen, we had an amazing number of kids come, and not only come, but also ask Jesus into their heart. 

 

Now, I am not saying to all of you overextended ladies (and men) out there to take on more that you can truly handle, and there is most definitely a time and a place for saying the word “no”.  We all need to say it, and we need to keep margin in our lives for so many reasons.  But what I am saying is when you feel that tug from God to do something you normally would not do, pray about it, and if you find it is a calling from Him, step up, follow that calling. 

 

 In my tribe, we had 9 great kids, we got to see water turned into wine, and the feeding of 5000, how could I have missed that?  What about, “kids are not my gifting”?  One of the nightly themes was “Called to Obey” I did, I answered that call, and somehow I did not feel out of my comfort zone.  I lived on two hours sleep each day, but, I truly wanted to be there each night sharing with my tribe all about Jesus.  Yes God truly was with me every step of the way this week, and I was blessed by the experience.  What will you do when you hear His Call?