Our Stories
"Caroline, it's God Calling."
By Caroline Cramer | posted 03/11/2010
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" (Jeremiah 29:11)
It was a black rotary dial phone and hung on the wall in the kitchen of the small home that I lived in for all of my childhood. My first memories of it included the short cord to the handset that was eventually lengthened as the local Southwestern Bell added accessories to the available white, beige or black phones. I remember my mother tethered with that three foot spiral cord, sitting just around the corner in the dining room with her cup of coffee talking with neighbors or my father who traveled by the week as a salesman. That phone carried good news, bad news and information to help us manage life in the suburbs. Seven people and one phone, lives planned via that clunky appliance. I remember a distinct fear of the phone as I was learning to use it and make notes for my father as his business calls were received on that line. I was also afraid to set up appointments and asked my mom to do that for me which she flatly refused. Oh, the sound that phone would make; loud crisp and clear. That call was so full of possibility. So what if that phone were my direct line to God? Not a cell phone that could be hidden away in a pocket but a big, noisy phone found in the center of the house of a big family. "Caroline, it's God calling."
What would He say to me? "I love you and can't wait to see you. I've got something I want you to do..." What could God want from me? What could I possibly offer God? God's call asking me to do something outrageous.
While taking The Call, a new class at Creekside, I learned that there are six marks of a call. I accept the first mark: that it comes from God. Being a typical human, I like to change things around...interpret God's message in a way that fits my life. The connection is clear but I "hear" it as a distorted call. Distorted and mangled by my desires for comfort and ambition. My biggest struggle is probably the most basic; how can I hear God? How can I stop my own noise and hear clearly? I believe that I need to dig into this first mark before I can move to the next five marks. I believe I know the key. Spend time with God, read His word and learn how to hear His voice.
When my children were small, I could be in the middle of chaos and could hear their small cry. I knew them so well from birth that I could hear their call and anticipate their need. My time with God should have the same intensity and need. Jeremiah 29:11 is often quoted and is one of my favorite verses. "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" But there is more to that verse and it follows, "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (vs. 11-12)
So, to hear, I need to seek and spend some time quietly listening. I pray that God will drive a big hole in my heart that can be filled with nothing but Him and that I am never satisfied with what I want in life. I hope that I can learn to answer the call confidently and hear the message clearly so that I can perfectly fill His design.
So, my goal in the next ten weeks is to practice listening. Sitting quietly each day with my Bible open, a verse in my heart and my eyes closed. I hope to pick up that receiver and hear what God has to say even in the midst of my noise and chaos. Over time, I will hear His voice over everything else in my life. I can't wait for the call.
Caroline can be reached via email here.
