Answering the Call
- The Narrow Path
- Sep 2, 2022
- 3 min read
Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds” (James 2:18, NLT).
The Lord woke me at 5:30 a.m. one morning a few weeks back. I rolled over, checked the time, and settled back into a comfortable position with the intention of going back to sleep. It was a Saturday morning, and I had no reason to be up that early, but I began to feel what I would describe as a spiritual nudging. I laid there a few more minutes before giving in to the Lord and answering the call to get out of bed to write.
Friday morning is my dedicated writing time, but, through experience, I have learned that sometimes the Lord wants me to write according to His timeline, not mine. That happened to be the case this particular weekend morning. I had spent numerous hours sitting at a coffee shop the morning before, and the words just wouldn’t come. More than usual, I stared at the screen struggling with the order of my words and the flow of the paragraphs. I’ve given enough of myself to the writing process that I have learned that when this happens, I just hit pause, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide me. Sometimes, I throw in the towel for the time being, and come back later when I feel refreshed. Others, I feel like He asks me to push through in order to get the words out. Either way, the pause is necessary in order to answer the call.
Learning more about this process and how the Lord works in regard to giving me words has been such a blessing. It saves me from staring at a blank screen and a blinking cursor, but more importantly, it feels like a true partnership. When I finally answered the call to commit myself to the writing process by dropping from 40 to 32 hours per week at work, I have witnessed the Lord honor that decision.
Friday has become my favorite day of the week. While it does help that I don’t have to work, this statement is true because it has become a day where I have space to meet with the Lord. Most of the time, He gives me words, so I write. Other times He gives me quiet, so I can rest. Often, He gives me the opportunity for connection by meeting with friends for lunch. He has also used this time as a space for growth by meeting with mentors over coffee. I truly can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for me each week.
James 2:14–18 are some of my favorite verses of scripture: What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
In simpler terms, faith without works is dead. For the longest time, I had faith that the Lord could, and would, do something big with the words He has put on my heart for so long. However, my faith was put into action when I finally gave the Lord the time He had been asking for over the last several years.
Is there something the Lord has been asking of you, and you just need to answer the call? I’m prayerful you will take time to consider that today and remember that when you follow the Lord down the narrow path, it always leads to life.
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