Alive - by Dave Smith

ewarded in the age to come. That is something we are all called to.
Hitting the bullseye is when we begin to recognise that we each have
our own unique calling in life – one that is different to anyone else’s.
A great example of someone who went on a journey of discovering
and fulfilling his specific life pathway is Eric Liddell, the hero of the
film Chariots of Fire. He was both an extremely gifted athlete and a
devoted follower of Jesus. Hence, when in the 1924 Olympics he
discovered that his favourite event, the 100-metre sprint, was to be
held on a Sunday, he courageously followed his conviction not to run
on the ‘Sabbath’. Instead, he went on to race in the midweek 400
metres, winning gold. Despite his incredible sporting talent, ultimately
he believed his calling lay in serving as a missionary in China. After
two decades there, he died at the age of 43 in a Japanese civilian
internment camp in 1945. 20
Others have been directed in a very different way. For example, the
Black Panther actress, Letitia Wright, has spoken of her journey: ‘I
needed to take a break from [acting], because I really idolized it. So I
came off from it and I went on a journey to discover my relationship
with God, and I became a Christian. It just really gave me so much
love and light within myself.’ 21 For her it wasn’t a change of career, as
it was after this point that she landed a lead role in Black Panther;
rather, it was a call to re-prioritise before continuing in the same job
but with a new inner motivation.
To return to Paul, Jesus revealed to him his unique life pathway – a
calling that centred around being sent to the Gentiles [non-Jews]: ‘I
will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am
sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness
to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may
receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are