“I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:1

This calling, our Brother Paul sends out to the Christians in the Ephesian church has been described as: the direction for our walk with and in God. Many Christians search and search and try to figure out the “what” and the “when” and the “where” of God’s plan and calling for their lives.

I believe women probably get this. Because when a woman becomes a mother for the first time, something happens to her immediately. This experience of having a baby or adopting a baby results in any attention and time that a first-time mother may have previously given to herself, is now to be shared with her child. Her response to the birth of her baby is to do whatever it takes to make sure her child’s needs are met. For almost every mother this is an unconscious response. This response to her tiny child’s birth doesn’t require a lot of thought; it is a very natural reaction to the arrival of her helpless infant. Her concern and care, her nurturing and her love for her child becomes her purpose. In a way, her calling. Mothers will even say “this is what I was made for” regarding their role.

It is not a huge stretch then for women to understand the passionate response of God to us so well. As spiritual babes in the world, we also need a lot of care. God knew this. God knows his children and knew we would need the care of a church family. This is the message that Paul is teaching to the Church at Ephesus. The unity of believers is so vital to the safety and security of the church that we must have a good understanding of our “calling” by God. Our behavior and our work in the kingdom much be such that part of our work, our service, is to keep one another safe. We protect one another. We help each other. We serve one another. Our dependency on God results in God’s response to our need. As a loving Father he has provided us with the security and comfort of the body of Christ in the form of church. Our Forever Family. Our calling in the Lord’s church is clear: care for one another.

Think About it: How has your experience of being a mother helped you to understand God’s love and care for us?

*This post is adapted from Joneal Kirby’s Bible Study, A Woman of Purpose, soon to be released.