Share My Calling

During my courtship with David, most of which took place while he was deployed in Iraq, we came to a point where we both knew that the other was God’s best for us.  All very exciting for two people in their mid 40’s each stepping into marriage for the first time!  In the midst of the joy and excitement my husband called and told me he needed me to really pray about our union.  He wanted me to understand that I wasn’t just marrying him, David, but a man God called to not just to be in the Army but to be an Army Chaplain.  He wanted me to be certain that God was not only calling me to marry him but to marry his God- given calling.  If I didn’t feel marrying an Army chaplain was God’s call on my life, David felt we should part ways. 

I did take three days to get with God.  Marrying David, the Army Chaplain, would mean I’d leave my job of 8+ years as Children’s Ministry and Community Life Director at Trinity Church in Greenwich, CT; leave an area I’ve lived in for over 22 years; and say goodbye to all my friends to move where he was stationed - Ft. Riley, KS.  On top of that, David promised this calling would mean I’d have to be flexible…giving up a date night because there’s a soldier in need, or setting our problems aside for a time while he helped others deal with theirs.  God called me to be a chaplain’s wife, and we marked the moment before God on Thanksgiving weekend, November 27, 2009.  Yes, David was right, flexibility is essential in this calling. 

However, I believe there’s a calling for me within David’s calling.  Yes, being a wife is a calling in and of its self, but I feel he has a broader calling for me as well.  God doesn’t call one spouse into a journey and not have a plan for the other. 

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10

God has a plan; he’s set out a course for me to run with perseverance.  My part in this relationship is to be quiet and hear his still small voice so that I can answer his call.  For now, David’s call as an Army chaplain allows him a consistency of duties but in different locations.   My call in Kansas is different from the plans he has for me in Baumholder, Germany.  Frankly, determining and navigating God’s call has been more difficult in this new life I find myself.  As a single working woman I was use to thinking in terms of “job,” with a paycheck, benefits, etc.  I’ve had to alter my perspective over the last year; although a job could be in God’s plans down the road.  After much prayer and discernment with my husband, I’m finding the path God has laid out for me during this season.

If you’re struggling in this area, don’t lose heart.  He hasn’t forgotten about you; he’ll anoint you.  Keep listening to God’s still small voice; he’ll direct you to the path he’s chosen just for you…in this time and this place.  Don’t ignore the call; you’ll miss the opportunity to be a blessing to those in your midst. 

 

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:6

What’s God’s calling on your life within your spouse’s call?  Are you struggling with your spouse’s call?  What are the heart issues in relation to this?

Blessings

Sarah