God's Glory Church

“I beg you… to behave worthy of the vocation to which you have been called.” — Ephesians 4:1

The book “Hidden Figures” tells about John Glenn’s preparation for space flight. In 1962, computers were still prone to failure. Glenn didn’t trust them and worried about the calculations for the launch. However, he knew that one smart woman could calculate the necessary numbers. He trusted her. “If she says it’s okay,” Glenn said, “I’m ready to go.”

Catherine Johnson was a teacher and mother of three children. She loved Jesus and served in the church. God blessed Catherine with an outstanding mind. In the late 1950s, NASA asked her to help with the space program. She was Glenn’s “smart woman”, one of the “living computers” they hired at the time.

Not all of us are called to be brilliant mathematicians, but God calls us to other things: “Grace has been given to each of us according to the measure of the gift of Christ” (Eph. 4:7). We must behave “worthy of our calling” (v. 1). We are also part of a body, each part of which does its own work (v. 16).

Katherine Johnson’s calculations confirmed the flight path. Launching Glenn into orbit was like a “hit in the bull’s eye.” But this was only one of Catherine’s vocations. Remember that she is also called to be a mother, a teacher and a church minister. We can ask ourselves what God has called us to do. Are we “ready to go”, using the gifts of grace with which He has gifted us, and live worthy of our calling?

What has God called you to do? What has He gifted you with?

Dear God, help me to accept what You have given and live a life worthy of Your calling.

Author: Kenneth Petersen