The Ohio Independent Baptist, April 1968

One Man's Calling(s) by Chelsea J. Stockwell Vhe11 young an<l cager and full of knrowJe<lgc, And trying to practice what I'd Iear,ned in college, n1et an old ·aint on my first ['Ural circuit Who had "Bible Faith' ' and knew how to wo11k it; ~ lut I had the thing all cut and dried, e· And rejected his, although it was tried. ,· 'his et the course for a waiy so v,aried: \ Often moved, and seldom tarried. lut raising myself, and as urning full s tature, I aid to myself, there is greener pas tu re. ~ ·o waste talen,t here seems such a pity; , So I prayed for a calling to come fron1 the oi,t y. r andidating to1'lowed in a place or two. ~ Letters came: We've called a man, but not yot1. I o I sat to think and to pray just a little; This turn of events at my ego did w1hi1ttle. ti , ·er haps for a Pastor I had no calling: Had I been misled? 'Tw,a most appalling. \.nother field might hold more pro 1 mise. I was willing: no doubting Thomas. d heard of the freedom ,that EvaingeJ,i ts had: To travetl all over: tha,t wou,Idn't be bad. Vith brand new luggage, I hung out my shingle; As I waited for calls, my heart was aitingle. ! nd then the day, to my first meeting going: i I encouraged myself, that the seed I'd 1be sowing. o, bidding goodb,ye no my own at the staJtion, I boarded the train with heart palpitation. missed them all so much, alas; But, I said, this feelin,g will pass ; ut after trying severial meetin,gs, The homesickness came with grim repeating . he san1ene s of menu with no hint of ·ea.son; Laundered hirts with wrinkles for no good tea or1; ooms too hot , too cold, too tuffy ; PiJlows were everything el e but fluffy; he chapter I w,anted, I said to myself, I a lways back h ome in a book on the shelf. n1onth far from home is too much to be payi 11g ; There are easier fields , ag.ain I was saying. Bible teacher, I was sure would be better ; So a contact or two I would make by letter. ~o burden with this , and home more o£ten; J was ~ure that this, the load would S-Often. /ith a HD. D." for a handle and a briefcase o f 11o tcs, I ventured forth with adequate quotes. ut one saint of God, than the others, bolder, ':iuggested I teach when a few years older. ,s a Pastor once n1ore in a church I was preaching; {Jf course not to thousands, lJut a few 1 was reaching. he 111ost usual woe~ sure I y be~et me: Some of the members w 1 ou ld like to Llpset me , metimes n1osl quickly we hear a cal l 1 o another place when our back's to the wall. Ve 're ~urc i l 1s the l .,ord 's own leading: I:. pcci al I y if i l I ur 11 ishe~ hou \e and iee<l 1 ng. ut it sce111ed i11 thi s [)a~to1atc so few ~howcd alfccli()ll , So llt;W plans bcg,1n turning in anotl1er di1 ect1on . t1JI a yoLtng 111,tn and strong, and f 1lled with an1bit1011s ; l "he11 why riot go i11to for e1gn mis~io11s? - Rev. Chelsea Stockwell With re4u1rc.n1ents all met and arrangements all rnade, T he dome tic probJen1 · for for,eign to trade. Of any four years in a life, these were longest· And of all the yearnings, for home was the str,onge t. But ·ome things were leavned, and that first-handed, When I fou 1 nd myself in the jungle stranded: There' no oorn,er grocery with the mobile basket, And a need doesn 't come just when you ask iit; And not to be tel],ing tales out of school, But Mi io,n:aries find, as a general rule, ' l'h1a l t•he ha rdes t task of any other, I just getting along with another brother. I couldn 't ee to the field returning; And [ said , I am ho nest in Hi will di ·cerning: ' l'o a Bible In titute I was lead , for teaching T.he young Novitiates the art of preaching. l\.1 y o,wn call was never loo well defined, ( l had gone the way J wa most inclined .) And now an in tructor, wit h live involved, J wa · even farther from the problem olved. But t 1 0 be di content in the place you are erving, Ju t enter tain the dream that you're far more deserving. ·f'hi ·oo n sets off a chain reaction; And far, far away goe the weet ati faction Of obeying God' will and eeking His choice; And oon you are deaf to His till, n1all voice. ,'\nd a time like thi ·, i hard for discerning The real call of Go<l fron1 selfi ·11 year11ing. ·1·hi · is tl1c ·'Long, Long Trail Awinding," With never the an wer fully finding; Not becau e it wa uch a riddle , But , with 0L1 l lo t and dying, it's a 1er lo fiddle ' I han to t1e yot1r elf down lo the will of ' d, And go in the pa.th you shoLtld have trod . A\ in the ring , yoL1r hat to be to ·1ng So you l1a,,c ·tood at ,l n1ultiplc cro · ·111g. J' n1 'iL1rc the Lotd i" 11cvcr 111i tal n, But to Ciod' , ""ii), 111c11 arc \ JO"' to a\\ ,1k~n : Anc.l 110111 Ci,)d '"> J)l,111 they ate J}Jot1c t,, lttl\tng. \Vtth 111L1ch t1111e itlr ,che111ing l1t1t little 101 1,ra,,, iug. i L)tl ca JJ1:, botl1 fl tt~to1~ ,t11ti .. Others" t lJl'Ct ,ch, 11<l gt\ ~ sl r 1ct a~,1g11n1cnt~ a11d IJl~tc 'S t "a ·h. Jt 's 11ot that we nccu yet 11101 e rearranging; Bt1t to count htl\!ati" OtJr 1'-1\111g for l1~111gi11g.