MONDAY

Isaiah 44:6-8, 21-23

• How do you respond to the desire God has for you?

One of the best films from my childhood is Disney’s 1998 classic Mulan, which tells the story of a young woman who heroically (and illegally) takes the place of her father in the military when he is unable to fulfill the duty himself. Mulan secretly dresses as a man to save her father, and in the process she ends up saving all of China from a national threat as well!

One of the themes from this film is expectations versus conviction. Mulan was expected, as a woman, to stay at home, marry, and become a mother. While this lifestyle appealed to many of Mulan’s peers, she had a robust conviction to serve in the military after seeing her father’s physical health struggle. Mulan defied expectations because she followed the calling of her heart.

What calling do you think God has for your life? And do you think it aligns with society’s expectations of you? The Bible is full of stories in which God’s calling directly contradicts the expectations of the called. Moses admits he is bad at speaking and, yet, God called him to speak to Pharaoh. David, a small young boy, was called to fight a giant more than double his size. The woman at the well became the Bible’s first evangelist in a world where women weren’t even allowed to hold any authority in religious spheres. God’s calling for you won’t always be convenient with society’s expectations. But we are asked to fulfill the calling anyway. How is God calling you today?