Years ago we enjoyed an annual Easter family tradition of an egg hunt at my grandparent's home. This epic hunt required a lot of preparation and expense to buy and fill the plastic eggs--not to mention hiding them so well. The "silver" and prized "golden" egg were always expertly hidden on an acre of property, and there could be a lull of more than 15 minutes when no eggs were found as the search area was whittled down to find that elusive golden egg. As an adult it was fun observing the children (including my own) look around for hidden treasures, and I discovered some children (not my own) quickly grew impatient and complained when they weren't easily finding eggs. They snatched eggs that lay in full view on the grass and quickly moved on for more. When finding eggs meant moving grass or pushing past a prickly pine tree or crawling near a cactus, they begged to be told where the best eggs were. In our family hunts, this sort of seeker never found the prized eggs.
The discouragement in children who are not easily finding eggs can at times bear a resemblance to what Christians can experience. I have met many believers who are disappointed when they have sought a particular spiritual gift but have yet to operate in it. Some feel left out because they are not aware of God's calling upon their lives, and want someone to tell them what to do or say--a formula to follow--to obtain what they are looking for. Discouragement will come when we prioritise the search for a gift rather seeking the Giver, and we choose disappointment in pursuing a call rather than Christ who calls us. Spiritual gifts and callings are not like eggs that contain a special prize we hold in our hands, but they are the divine fruit of our relationship with God who holds us. As we are not our own, having been bought with a price, our spiritual fruitfulness, gifts and call are not primarily for our feelings of fulfillment but God's glory.
In his book The Call, Os Guinness made an excellent observation how being called by God "subverts the deadly modern idolatry of choice":
"Choice in modern life is central, powerful, unquestioned, and enshrined in how we think and all we do--so much so that it cannot be undermined merely by an appeal to another choice. Choice for modern people is a right that overwhelms both responsibility and rationality...Arguments against choice need to recognize the special, godlike power of choice. But ultimately only one thing can conquer choice--being chosen. Thus, for followers of Christ, calling neutralizes the fundamental poison of choice in modern life. "I have chosen you," Jesus said, "you have not chosen me." We are not our own; we have been bought with a price. We have no rights, only responsibilities. Following Christ is not our initiative, merely our response, in obedience. Nothing works better to debunk the pretensions of choices than a conviction of calling. Once we have been called, we literally "have no choice." (Guinness, Os. The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life. Thomas Nelson, 2003. Page 167)
It is good to realise choice can be idolised, and really this modern luxury is an extension of the ancient tendency to idolise ourselves. We can be moved to seek a particular gift or calling because of how it could benefit us. By God's grace disappointment and disillusionment by our preferences not being met can be the means God employs to draw us to Himself, to begin to know and understand God--and have our eyes opened to better recognise how much we need Him. To be chosen and called by God is wonderful, and to know Him is greater than unlocking a new ability that will someday pass away. While the focus in our family Easter egg hunt was finding eggs, the real treasure was those loving, generous women who made the effort to prepare, spend and oversee the event. As we continue on our pilgrimage of faith in Jesus, may God open our eyes to see when we have been searching for and prioritising gifts over the Giver, a calling over the Caller, or our choices rather than God who chose us.
