Micro-Calling Series No. 1
Not Everything Has to Be a Big Deal & Not Every Big Deal Really Is
When you wake up in the morning or preview your week, what do you think about?
Let’s Play A Game of Reflection
Let’s play a game.
If you think about the following, give yourself a point for each:
I think about my calendar and the appointments ahead of me.
I think about the deadlines I’ve got coming up.
I think about my kids’ schedules and who has what practice or needs to finish which project this week.
I think about where my spouse’s schedule may need additional support.
I think about what I’ve committed to from a volunteer standpoint this week.
I look at the chores I need to accomplish (or have someone else do) this week.
I open the fridge and start by taking a mental inventory of the kinds of foods I need to get at the store.
I make a list of errands I need to run by the end of the week.
I look at the day ahead and can’t remember what’s ahead just for today, much less the next week.
Now, part two of the game:
Give yourself two points for any of these thoughts that come to mind as you plan out your day or your week.
I’m loved by God even if I do nothing.
The fact that I am human means I won’t get to everything. That’s okay.
Where is God at work in the lives of the people I live with?
What is my emotional state today (how am I feeling)?
I’m talking to God about how I feel about fill-in-the-blank.
I’ve taken a few deep breaths and had a few moments of silence.
I’ve asked those around me a question (any variation of these): What do you need right now/this week? How can I love you best in this moment? What are you concerned/worried/anxious about? What are you excited about?
Now, turn those questions on yourself. Have you thought about any of them in relation to YOU lately?
How many points do you have? (The max amount would be around 25 if you answered “yes” to all the bullet points.)
While we are not in a scoring game and—news flash—no one is watching, this is an inventory to help us understand where we’re at and how we think about our time.
Why How We Think Matters
Why is a micro-calling blog series focused on a quiz related to how we think about our time and our relationships?
How we look at our time and relationships impacts everything else we do or don’t do.
If we look at them as “Big Deal” moments—for example, I think I have to meet all my child’s needs or be there for everything my spouse can’t be there for—I’ll probably burn out pretty quickly.
I may also dread the stuff that’s just regular responsibility, everyone-does-it kind of thing because I am expecting too many Big Deal things of myself this week. What do I mean by Big Deal things?
When we make much of our calling or our commitments, we can start to (unknowingly) categorize relationships and our time into two categories only: Big Deal to-do’s and relational types and Mundane to-do’s and relational types.
Big Deal stuff for you may be different than my Big Deal stuff. Yours might be things like “prepare for a 10 a.m. meeting with a publisher” and “get Sparky’s vet appointment made.” Mine may be “make sure to schedule the medical test for Child A” and “finish the book edit I’m working on two days before it’s due.”
Mundane stuff may be “cook the meal for the neighbor who had a baby” or “grab balloons for Child B’s Sadie Hawkins dance.”
But guess what? Something we’ve labeled as Big Deal may not actually be part of our calling this week, and something we’ve slotted into the Mundane list may actually be a micro-calling that we’re not sure how to tackle — and very likely may forget about or skip because its importance has been downgraded.
The Duck Crossing was part of my mundane errand running last week. It made me slow down and think.
How we think about our relationships and to-do items matters because we usually show up first for Big Deal energy, excitement and passion. Then, we leave our Mundane list for the last-things-if-I-have-time category.
But we think differently than our family members, our friends, and our neighbors. And we certainly think differently than God.
In fact, there’s a whole passage about this in the Book of Isaiah:
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
What If Big Deal Energy Is Redirected?
When we begin our attitude toward calling with Big Deal stuff, we can actually miss the smallest details that are meant to guide our days.
What if I put some of my Big Deal energy — making a work meeting or preparing for a new client — into listening to my child tell about the funny thing their classmate did after school?
What if I took the first ten minutes of my day to be silent, take some deep breaths and focus on a meaningful quote or verse instead of jumping straight into the news, the calendar, and the social media feed?
What if I made one small change to my list for the day by crossing one thing off, moving it to next week, or maybe simply slotting in time when I have nothing to do but look out the window for 15 minutes?
What if our Big Deal Energy gets redirected for a few small micro-callings this week instead of the Big Deal list we usually prioritize?
An Example: Sapphire League Story
While writing this blog, one of my kids asked if I’d been paying attention to their notifications on an app they have been using on my phone.
My temptation was to ignore it; after all, it’s an app not for school or an activity for which I’ve enrolled them. It’s just for fun.
But I realized it was important to them.
So I stopped and listened. The “sapphire” level was recently achieved. It meant a hug and a congrats, and an “I’m proud of you for sticking with it.” This was my micro-calling.
Sure, it would have been easier to continue writing this and thinking of the next point. Instead, it was clear that this 3-minute exchange was more important. It signified that I was interested in something meaningful to my child.
Takeaways for Writers & Non-Writers
My takeaways this week are for writers and non-writers. We can learn from the Saphhire League to ask one grounding question:
Where am I directing my thoughts too often toward Big Deal to-do list items rather than paying-attention items?
When we slow down long enough to pay attention to the people around us and the breath inside of us, we usually find it easier to choose one or two small things that are significant. They hold meaning long after the deadline has passed, the meeting is over, and the practice has ended.
They’re the stuff of real life that gives substance to our writing, creativity, and awareness.
Let’s walk a little slower, breathe a little deeper, and pay attention to the little interruptions this week that may - in actuality - be the real Big Deal items to focus on with more of our Big Deal energy.