At some point in this process we become necessarily detached from everything. We get to the place where we could scrap the whole thing and never miss any of it. At least we think. It is a bit of a fear escape mechanism.
The reality of the work it will take starts to overwhelm us. The daunting sacrifices ahead start to become clearer. Realizing we have one last chance to turn around becomes quite an invitation. It is a mirage. A trick. Don’t believe it.
The truth is that only in the path of your calling will you find what it is you are looking for. Despite the challenges, which abound in every road by the way, the satisfaction will be sufficient. What we can not see in such moments is the joy.
And the energy it brings. We get to cost thinking only. What is the cost? How much will this take? It can freeze us. We don’t have the capital. We don’t have the followers. We don’t have the .... True. Not yet. But we will!
Not even the gates of hell can stop something that God has willed. People who live in their calling have that sort of confidence, resilience, and hope. It is almost non-rational and can certainly attract those who are irrational.
That does not stop it from being true. There is a sense of destiny. We certainly can’t know it perfectly. It definitely teases us. We see only partially, ever, on this side. Still there is a sense of destiny and direction God puts into our hearts.
And it won’t go away. It’s an annoying feeling. It keeps us unsettled, off-balance, awaiting. But that is the point. Not anxiety, but expectancy. We are on the edge of our seats. We are looking for what will happen next. We are excited!
Also slightly terrified. This is no movie we are watching. And we are the main characters. The stakes are high. But we have that thrilling hope that we are on track with some amazing adventure. We are just this side of figuring it out.
Life just unfolds. When we are doing our thing, when we are really in the heart of our calling it simply is. We don’t have to think so much. That is the wonderful thing about gifts, and what is often miscalculated about them: they are free.
Sometimes, since we did not go out and earn them, we miss them. Because they came naturally, we may have overlooked them. Don’t. The things you do by accident are actually at the core of your calling. It will be easy to miss.
Or you will want to tweak the thing you naturally do well to form it into what you think is cooler. You push and pull at something that naturally is already where its best. People will respond the most when what you do is at its purist release.
This requires great vulnerability. It will seem insignificant. It will almost feel passé. Fight through it. Let that go. Stop thinking. No more worrying about what is cool. Cool is always the freedom to do what you do regardless of what others think!