Following One's Leadings

Isaiah 6:8 -- “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.”

It can be a difficult thing to recognize when one has a leading. We have all had urges which we feel we must move on. It could be as simple as which political candidate to support or as complex as whether to change jobs or careers in midstream. Whatever the situation, it can be a most difficult one at times. At the same time, we may not know it, but the Divine may be speaking to us in ways we may not realize.

When I was in high school I had the idea I wanted to be a Methodist minister. I read my Bible and went to church each Sunday and was a leader in the youth group. I thought my path was all set. Then something happened which changed my life. I had written a history term paper on the sharecropper during the Depression. My teacher, David Turner, was so taken by it he said to the class that it was one of the best examples of a term paper he had ever read. It was that remark that prompted me to rethink my plans and pursue a degree in history, forsaking what I had felt for some time was my destiny. Was it the Divine speaking to me through Mr. Turner?

Without a leading, Martin Luther would not have posted his 95 Theses on the church door; Mohandas Gandhi would have remained a non-descript lawyer in South Africa, and Martin Luther King, Jr. would have continued preaching sermons on Sundays. In today's America there are a host of people with their varied leadings--everything from stopping the wars to stopping abortions. Each of us has our own interests and causes. While not all of us are as deeply led as others we cannot help but respect their actions and dedication to the cause as being divinely led.

It can be difficult for one to realize they have a leading and even more so to act on it. The most unfortunate thing which can result is that one can be left with regret that they did not act on their leading. Bill Kreidler, a member of Beacon Hill Quaker Meeting in Boston was a gay, tenured, elementary school teacher who, in the 1980s, had the opportunity to speak out against Anita Bryant and her rants against gays and lesbians, but he chose not to do so. One of the regrets which followed him to his grave was the fact that he had the opportunity to act but didn’t. That point in history passed and he failed to act on his leading.

May each of us recognize and act on our leadings, no matter how trivial they may seem at the time, lest we come to feel a sense of inadequacy or regret that we failed to follow them.