Are You Building an Ark or a Golden Calf?

by Amber Weigand-Buckley

“Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.” Genesis 6:22 NASB

Have you allowed other people’s opinions to become idols in your life?

It may seem like a crazy question to ask. Yes, we all look for those who can give us sound advice and insight into faith or direction. However, are there areas where you’ve let those voices of influence overwrite the call God placed on you?

What would your shelves look like if you made little statues to bow to the negative influencers who prevented you from doing what God wanted you to do?

Maybe it’s that mission trip you didn’t go on because someone convinced you it’s not possible to raise the finances. Perhaps it’s that speaking opportunity that you turned down because you were told you weren’t qualified. Maybe it’s a book you keep putting off writing because you were told you shouldn’t take on another project.

I can’t help thinking back to Noah and the moment God called him to construct a colossal ark smack in the middle of bone-dry land.

And to top it off, Noah foolishly took on the job God had called him to do with no previous ark-building experience.

Then when Noah did all he could do, despite the opinion of others, God did all the rest as the animals came in from near and far.

Noah felt the confirmation of everything he’d been working on when the first drop of rain hit the land.

On the other side, look at what happened in Exodus 32 when Moses followed God’s call to meet Him for 40 days on the mountain. Back at the camp, almost everyone else joined the Let’s Build a Golden Calf party. It was then that Aaron bowed to peer pressure to appease the opinions of the majority, even though he knew God wouldn’t be pleased.

I read a social pin lately that said: “Not everyone will understand your call. It wasn’t a conference call.”

I had to chuckle because sometimes we wait for someone else’s opinion to determine God’s call in our life. And sometimes, sadly, that opinion overwrites our obedience to God.

I guarantee you being obedient to God’s call will not be comfortable, convenient, easy, and acceptable —and it’s not meant to be.

We must get to the place of realizing that God calls us as His children to do something doomed to failure without Him— and to do this we must stop embracing the idols of popular opinion.  

I pray God helps you prayerfully evaluate the things you have in your heart, hands, and on your shelves that are overwriting what you know God has called you to do. God wants us to embrace a new level of heart-wide-open, feet-ready-to-move, Holy Spirit-led mindfulness as you obediently build the ark and move to the next place He may be taking you.

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the author: Amber Weigand-Buckley is the Protégé Mentor and Brand Director for the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association as well as the Editor and Art Director for the multi-award-winning Leading Hearts magazine. Check out the latest issue at leadinghearts.com.

Join the conversation: What is standing in the way of God’s calling for you right now?

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