Finding
God's Purpose For My Life: Friday and Saturday, Dec. 6 & 7!
An
Eagle: Extraordinary Servants!!
I heard a story that I really liked and can't remember the author or I'd give her credit, but I'll try to tell it the best I can. I hope you'll make the connection.
Once Upon a
Time...
Once upon a time there was a duck, a horse, and eagle and a squirrel who were drafted into the animal army. Each of them was a willing recruit, patriotic and willing to give all they had for the other creatures of the forest.
There were many challenges for the animal army. The enemy was capable of surprise attack, so a vigilant watch was to be kept on the far reaches of the forest's border at all times. Over the year, the animal army had developed a practice of building strongholds, places of refuge for the weaker animals that required the moving of great quantities of earth and stone.
Because of the large lakes that were scattered throughout the forests, a rapidly deployed force across the waters was essential for the protection of the creatures of the forest. And naturally, the trees of the forest offered hundreds of strategic hiding places for those who would move quickly from tree to tree, launching assaults on any invading foe.
A Task for All
The duck, the horse, the eagle and the squirrel reported for duty on the first day of basic training. The Captain, a beaver who was newly promoted to the position of the training of new recruits laid out the plan for the defense of the forest. Then he laid out the challenge. "Who will fly to the far corners of the forest borders to watch for our enemies? Who will build the places of refuge and drag the heavy loads of earth and stone? Who will swim across our lakes and head off the attack by sea? And who will run through the branches of our trees in defense of the animals of the forest?"
"The trees! The trees of the forest!" thought the duck to herself. "What more glorious task for my fellow animals could there be than to run secretly and swiftly up and down, from tree to tree day in and day out, all for the cause of the forest kingdom." She could hardly contain herself as she called out to the beaver, "Send me, Captain! I will climb the trees!" And away she went to train for tree climbing.
The horse was equally struck by the vision of the water. "I've always wanted the chance to learn to swim. Send me to the lake, Captain!" And off he went to the water's edge.
As the beaver explained the tasks at hand, the eagle's heart went out to the poor, tiny creatures who had no way to defend themselves against the enemy. He thought, "Someone must build the places of sanctuary for the helpless! It is the right thing to do, and I'll do it myself if I must!" He stepped forward to volunteer. "Show me the stones and earth, Captain. I'm ready for the challenge!" And the eagle set out for the quarry.
"I didn't think it possible," thought the squirrel, "that there would be an opening for me to fly! How I'd love to soar above the treetops and watch guard over the kingdom!" She called to the beaver, "Flying is for me, Captain!" And away she went to fly among the clouds.
The Plan Unravels
The beaver went to find the duck to see how the tree climbing was going. He was unprepared for the spectacle he witnessed when he arrived. The duck was flailing and flapping and digging at the tree trunk with both webbed feet, but nothing happened, other than repeated backward flips onto her back. "Don't give up on me, Captain. I can do this!" she shouted, as she flipped onto her back for the hundredth time.
The beaver went next to the lake. There was the horse, bobbing around out in the middle of the lake, straining to keep his head above water, and not making much progress in any particular direction. The beaver called out to the horse and the horse called back, "Is that you, Captain? I can't quite tell where you are, but I think I'm getting the hang of this. You wouldn't have some sort of horse sized flotation device, would you?" The beaver turned and headed for the quarry.
There the eagle was harnessed in to the first load of rock. At first, the beaver didn't see him, for he was almost buried by the leather gear of the harness. When the animal Captain lifted the harness away to ask how he was doing, the eagle looked up, and with a sort of half smile said, "Well, I'm trying my best!"
The beaver found the squirrel, exhausted, lying in a heap in the middle of the meadow. "I've been getting good speed, but I'm still having a little trouble with my take off. But I know how important it is that we do this task, so I'm not going to quit."
Later that day, the enemy attacked by land, by sea and by air. It was an overwhelming defeat for the animals of the forest.
The End.
Extraordinary
Service
It's a cute story, and I'm sure you see the point. In the Lord's kingdom, we all have different gifts, and when we each serve according to our gifts, the mission is pursued vigorously and in the power of the Lord, the Giver of Gifts. (Be sure and take a moment to read again 1 Corinthians 12!)
Sadly, the story is a little bit too true. Often in the church we see people serving outside of their area of giftedness. Ducks don't climb trees. Squirrels do. And when we have the squirrels climbing trees, the ducks swimming, the eagles flying and the horses pulling, we move forward in the accomplishment of the task.
And everyone has more satisfaction and joy. Here at Mount Calvary, we want everyone to know that regardless of the service you are called to offer in the Lord's kingdom, whether it is through an organized church ministry or through service out there in the community, every task is an important one. And we want all of the Lord's extraordinary servants to find their task, to grow in their ability to perform it well, to know the joy of serving according to their gifts, and the benefits of serving side by side with other Christians.
To that end, I invite you to join us next Friday evening and next Saturday for a workshop of discovery of your calling in the Lord's service. The course of study, led by Pastor Vern Koehlinger, will examine the biblical foundation for spiritual gift ministry and help you on the way of discovering what might be your special gifts and aptitudes for service in the Lord's kingdom.
This effort, directed by the 3D Task Force (Discovery, Development and Deployment of our Gifts in Ministry) is intended to help you know the joy of fulfilling your life calling as a disciple of Jesus.
Please contact Cory Smith at the church office for more details, or talk to any member of the 3D Task Force, Marla Kindt, Bev Garnant, Mary Stroup or Jim Telle.
We'd love to see you Friday! "Ducks of the world, out of the trees and into the lake!"