My
greatest moment of victory occurred at a
seventh-grade talent assembly. A band I had
formed, the Galaxies, performed the only two
songs we knew--Rock Around the Clock and Raunchy.
By any critical standards our music was terrible.
But Raunchy was an instrumental hit that year,
and when I picked the first notes on my guitar it
was like a call to arms. The students began
clapping along thunderously and at the end of the
song rose to their feet chanting for an encore.
(Of course, we didn't know any other songs, so we
played Raunchy again.)
The experience was so affirming
that it set the stage for my life for years to
come. My friends saw me as a musician, and I
gladly accepted the role. My goal in life was to
become an accomplished guitarist with a popular
band.
In time I came to realize that my
strongest interests and gifts lay not in music
but in teaching and pastoring. While I enjoyed
music greatly, the recognition I received was
more important to me than the creative
satisfaction. The logical move was to leave music
and pursue a teaching ministry.
Some who knew me well, while not
wanting to discourage me, found my new desire
hard to reconcile with the way they saw me. I
found it painfully difficult to think of leaving
an affirming situation and going against my
friends' expectations.
New Horizons
We all come to points where we
realize Christ is prompting us to make a major
change. It may mean changing career direction or
college major, developing a new relationship or
taking a step of spiritual or moral growth. Yet
sometimes those who know us best can find the
change hardest to understand. We don't receive
the encouragement we expect and feel let down. We
must be very forgiving at such times. After all,
others have only the picture of us that they've
gained from the past. It was too much to expect
those who had known me mainly as a musician to
perceive me so quickly in a very different role.
But at the same time we must
realize how easily we can become immobilized by
the fear of disappointing others or losing their
affirmation. Christ can be nudging us to move on,
but the course of least resistance is to keep
playing Raunchy again. A woman told me how for
years she had been frustrated immersing herself
in local political activity when in her heart she
wanted to be an interior decorator. "I have
spent most of my life doing what I thought other
people wanted me to do," she confessed.
At transition times we should
remember the inspiring example of David facing
Goliath. David's brothers
chided him for leaving his sheep and thinking he
could take on such a mammoth foe (1 Sam
17:28-30). Even worse, Saul, the most respected
warrior in Israel, insisted, "You are not
able to go against this Philistine . . . for you
are but a youth" (1 Sam 17:33). David,
however, knew that he could take on Goliath
because of his victories over lions and bears,
and because he was sure God would give victory to
a cause so clearly upholding his glory. David's
decision was based upon both a wise
self-understanding and a keen perception of what
would most clearly honor God. His mature
perspective gave him the fortitude to forge
beyond all the objections and disappointing
looks.
The Multitude of Counselors
Here is a paradox: Scripture
declares that we are not likely to understand
God's will for our big decisions apart from the
advice of others. "Without counsel, plans
fail," the Proverbs frequently remind us. At
the same time David's experience shows us that
God's direction can fly in the face of advice.
How can we resolve this?
Part of the answer is that we
should seek counsel not only from those who know
us well, but also from mature
individuals who may be more objective. It is
interesting that Saul (who was undoubtedly more
objective than David's brothers) agreed to let
the boy fight after he had presented his case (1
Sam 17:37). An older businessman whom I greatly
respected and several pastors counseled me to
make the transition from music to teaching. I'm
not certain I would have gone ahead without their
encouragement.
In any case, knowing God's will
is more art than science. We must check our
motivations, abilities and circumstances, and
weigh them in light of the counsel others give
us. As we do this prayerfully, a confident course
of direction should emerge.
Any time Christ calls us to make
a major change, we will probably be blessed with
those who encourage us. But others may not want
to let us shed the old snakeskins. We must
somehow affirm them for their concern but still
find the courage to go ahead, seeking the praise
of God rather than people. Apart from such an
outlook, we can miss golden opportunities for
developing our gifts and investing them for
Christ's sake.
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