Vocation & Preparation by Anthony Leaver

Chapter 3 of the book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament starts with the words “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven”. And at times in our lives, when faced with a specific challenge, one of those activities is preparation.

There is a temptation to turn procrastination into an art-form. I can quite easily make lists, make lists of lists and then prioritise lists without ever moving from my desk.

In Shakespeare’s play, Lady Macbeth challenges Macbeth :

Wouldst thou have that which thou esteem’st the ornament of life,

And live a coward in thine own esteem, Letting “I dare not” wait upon “I would, ”

Easy to find excuses and in so doing, deny ourselves and others the blessings which could be uniquely available.  We doubt our ability and capacity to achieve and we fear the possibility of failure.

Moses was a classic example of such a perception of personal inadequacy when God told him to prepare to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. At one point, having listed his lack of skills, he says “O Lord, please send someone else to do it” (Exodus ch 4 v13).

Of course, we are all faced with everyday jobs and routine tasks for which the practical solution is simply to ‘just do it’.  But there are times when the challenge is much more significant. There is a well-known saying “Fail to prepare, prepare to fail !”  Preparation, whether by deliberate planning or by learning from experience, is essential to the success of any venture. And humble self-examination is necessary so that we can be convinced that we are the right person for the job.

Winston Churchill effectively endorsed this when after an eventful life, at the outbreak of World War 2, he remarked that “I felt as if I were walking with destiny, and that all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial”.

In this respect, we are now well into the season of Lent – a time when Christians remember the 40 days and nights Jesus spent alone in the desert without food being tempted by Satan. Jesus used this time to prepare for His work by fasting and praying. He knew He had a unique role to fulfil, even if the prospect was daunting.

Jesus knew of His mission since the start of time.  Churchill had some inkling of his purpose, years beforehand.  But sometimes we are called to our vocation at short notice. The appointment of Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury is an example.  An article in The Times reports that “he regarded his application for the job as a “joke”. He described how he was ordered by the Church of England to apply after just seven months as Bishop of Durham even though he thought it ridiculous.”

Following his appointment, he asked the congregation to join him in prayer, and added: “I know I will disappoint a lot of people in this job. The thing about the Church is that we are so human . . . I’m just a very, very ordinary Christian.”

And as I write this, I hear that the Pope has resigned and so before Easter there will be a man, as yet unidentified, currently a Cardinal, for whom the papacy will be his vocation.

None of us may be destined for quite such challenges, but we all have unique roles to undertake.  Let us use the season of Lent to examine ourselves prayerfully, and to be prepared fulfil God’s purpose for our lives.

Anthony Leaver