Henry Ford famously said, "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal."
Joe Ehrmann, author of the bestselling book InsideOut Coaching, addressed the need for a purpose and a calling in telling coaches:
"Too many coaches have no clear, concise purpose other than winning and choose of path uncertain of where they will end or how their direction will affect their players. You can't navigate a ship by studying the wind and the waves alone - you have to set your sights on a port, a lighthouse, some WHY - the purpose that keeps us centered and focused on honoring the high calling of being coaches."
Goal ... Purpose ... Calling .... Somehow those terms are intrinsically linked. God has a goal for all believers - transformation into the likeness of Christ. (Romans 8:29, 2 Corinthians 3:18). Our purpose in life, then, should be to understand and pursue that goal of Christlikeness, not through some legalistic list of do's and don'ts but by beholding the person of Christ as revealed in the Gospel. As Jerry Bridges says in his book The Discipline of Grace, "to be like Jesus is not to just to stop committing a few obvious sins such as lying, cheating, gossiping, and thinking impure thoughts. To be like Jesus is to always seek to do the will of the Father ... to come to the place where we delight to do the will of God ... simply because it is His will."
The path we take to this goal is unique for every person ... that is where our calling comes in. Just as the body is made up of many parts, the Body of Christ is made up of unique individuals with unique gifts ... a unique calling. The challenge is to understand our calling and how God wants to use that to lead us to our ultimate goal, Christ-likeness.
Winterim, a special event at HCA that will be taking place in early January, is intended to help our students understand and pursue their calling. Students in grades 9-12 will attend a special set of courses for four days designed to allow them to explore topics outside the normal curriculum, taught by HCA staff as well as parents and other members of the larger community. This gives Winterim instructors the opportunity to share an area of passion in a hands-on, interactive setting. This initiative is part of a larger effort to encourage HCA students to recognize God’s call on their lives ... a call to use the gifts and talents he has given them to His glory ... by Him, to Him, for Him!
Here's to keep our sights set on the Lighthouse!!
