The Call to Obedience

This past weekend we were blessed to have a special guest in our home. John Lehn, a missionary to Croatia is currently in the States for one month to visit with churches and individuals who support him and his family. John's stay in our home was a delightful experience for our entire family. He was a very gracious guest and he gave each of the children individual attention.
On Sunday evening John shared during our prayer service at church. One comment he made in response to a question has particularly stayed with me. The question had to do with the time spent between first receiving the call and finally being on the mission field. He shared that the most important thing to remember is the call to obedience.
The call to obedience might not sound as inviting as the call to missions, or evangelism, or the call to be a teacher or pastor. Yet, as I've thought about this I've had to admit that the call to obedience is fundamental to any call to service we might receive from God. I see how important it is to be diligent and faithful in my obedience with every part of my life, even if I don't see how or what it is God is calling me to do.
The wait for God's perfect timing - the time we spend waiting for God to make all things ready for us to serve IS the perfect time for obedience. The idea of "blooming where you are planted" seems to go hand in hand with the call to obedience. We shouldn't wait until 'we think we are where God is taking us so we can do what he has called us to' before we answer the call to obedience. Rather, we should accept the call to obedience in the seemingly insignificant stages of our life when we are tempted to become frustrated with waiting for God to use us.