CALLING OVER COMFORT
August 1, 2022
I was fortunate to hear one of my favorite ministers share his thoughts on “Calling over Comfort” at a recent service. It seemed he was talking directly to me and helping me understand what is in my heart and why I do what I do.
When all is going well and life is comfortable, it is very easy to stay in that momentary happy place and be comfortable and avoid all risk and uncertainty. However, our “callings” in life provide us with the opportunity to really live and support what we profess and why we even exist. It’s our “why” that matters and it is up to us to decide to make the efforts that sometimes can be painful or to take the simple and easier paths in life. Our callings in life include a combination of many things, like our spiritual life, careers, relationships, parenting, mentoring, education, service to others often greater than to self and other things that are found deep in our hearts.
I often remind myself that if I am uncomfortable, I am in the growing zone. When you take the training wheels off a bicycle a young child is learning to ride, it gets a little scary for the parents and the child. However, with faith and perseverance the child will learn to ride the bicycle without the training wheels. Similarly, faith and perseverance will allow things to work out for us as we leave our “comfort zone” and our calling or mission will be realized.
In life we reach plateaus at different times and it would be easy to stay put when a plateau is reached. But if we stayed put, we would never realize our full God-given potential. I would much rather fail trying new and challenging things than spend my final days wondering “what could have been.” For me, my calling is service to God, Country and Family. As a defense contractor and entrepreneur, I routinely take leaps of faith and risk. I’m never sure of the outcome but I am sure of my cause. Comfort is fertile soil for mediocrity and in my book remaining comfortable is not being a good steward of our God-given talents. Focusing on our calling helps us eliminate the cancer words that kill success: “can’t, don’t and won’t.”
It’s amazing to me how doors seem to open and people just seem to show up by the grace of God when you move forward with faith and action. At almost 70 years of age, when many of my peers have either retired or died, I continue to focus on my calling, blessed with the support of my family, friends, employees and loved ones. Our common mission of making a positive difference and touching lots of lives all over the world is our calling. I relentlessly try to improve every day. My calling means that I work almost every day and every holiday but always around my church schedules. I pray that I am doing God’s work on the Sabbath. This level of activity does not make me comfortable, but it is what I do. Remember that your “calling” in all areas of your life is meaningless without action and faith. If your goal is a life of no regrets, choose “calling” over comfort and you’ll never be disappointed, even when things don‘t turn out as you planned. In your heart, you will know that you did your very best and then some.
Are you following your calling? Take it from a failure who refuses to quit. Don’t let fear of the unknown stop you from pursuing whatever is in your heart. The window of opportunity doesn’t stay open forever! I pray that I have gotten this right!
Written by KING AEROSPACE Founder, Jerry Allan King-Echevarria.