GOOD THINKING: ANSWERING GOD'S CALL THROUGHOUT LIFE

There's an old spiritual that goes like this:

"Hush! Hush! Somebody's callin' my name;

Hush! Hush! Somebody's callin' my name;

O my Lawd, O my Lawd, what'll I do?"

From birth's new dawn to death's final hurrah, somebody or something is always calling to us!

Snoopy pounds on Charlie Brown's front door until the door opens. And Snoopy says to the bewildered Charlie Brown: "I'm sure I heard a chocolate-chip cookie calling me." Snoopy heard a call and was persistent in answering it.

Some of us hear the call of the "greens." An avid golfer can be found on the golf course in summer's heat, in the windy weather of spring and fall, and amid the snowdrifts of winter. The all-season golfer answers the call of the "greens" no matter what.

Fishermen hear the rivers and lakes calling them. Youth and senior adults, and many persons in between, take their fishing seriously. The call is strong, and for the avid fisherman no distance or expense is too much when the fish are biting.

We make calls, and receive calls, on a daily basis. How we respond depends on (1) who's calling us, (2) whether or not the caller is trying to sell us something, and (3) how busy we are at the moment. Some calls, and callers, take priority! If the governor calls and wants to meet us, that's Priority 1. If the caller informs us that we have won the $20 million lottery, our response would be ecstatic! And if our child calls to tell us we're now proud grandparents, our hearts overflow with joy!

The most important call any one of us will ever receive is from Almighty God, creator and sustainer of life, ruler of all the universes! God has placed a call to every person ever born, from the beginning of time to the present moment. What a tragedy that a mere handful of God's children hear the call or take the time to answer it.

We use the telephone, telegraph, e-mail and other wonders of technology to call one another. God uses Holy Scripture, the sights and sounds of his wondrous world, the still small voice of conscience, prayer, the church, fellow human beings, some of the situations we experience in life, as well as the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. God continues to call us, hoping for a response!

Hush! Somebody's calling your name and mine! It must be the Lord God! And if it is, I'm gonna pick up on the first ring; I don't want to miss talking with God! And I'm gonna answer the call; I'll be as persistent as Snoopy, as enduring as the avid golfer, and as enthusiastic as the good fisherman! How about you?