Preparing for the rest of life

When I attended Salvation Army Training College in the mid 1980's there was a little grocery shop in the the college where Cadets could put together their food parcels for  Sunday Corps visits or add to the sustenance that was already provided by the College or buy toiletries etc.

It was run by the brown coated Brigadier Charles Wensley (retired). He became an unofficial counsellor and help to the Cadets, and I dare say some of the staff as well.

Those who got into conversation with him would soon hear his story which normally concluded with something like this: when I was called to be a Salvation. Army Officer I could never understand why - after all I was just a grocers assistant. Now I know that all the experiences of my life have equipped me for this special and most fulfilling calling: to serve the cadets here at the Training College.

Inevitably we are the sum of all our past experience. Qualification and relationship, difficult decisions and personal success and failure are all written on the CV of our lives even if they don't all make it onto paper.

There is, perhaps, a specific calling for each of us that our past experiences has prepared us for.

The Apostle Paul - formerly the murderous religious zealot Paul - had many experiences in his early life of education and religion that, on paper, would completely exclude him from a Christian spiritual life and yet he became the most prolific early Christian leader and writer.

When I consider my background and upbringing I gain some understanding as to how I have got to this point in my life: I bring stability, a certain amount of planning and development experience, many years of pastoral and evangelical ministry, and an unique cable thirst for people to learn about Jesus and for those that do to experience more of His grace.

I bring very few qualifications but I do possess an acute sense of calling.

What are you being called to?