To "Go"
The call that reshapes every life: Go forth
What is the inner call that speaks to all humanity?
What is the charge for those who believe?
These are questions that millions of believers around the world ask themselves each day. The pull we all have upwards, and all it encompasses, forces us to ask hard questions of ourselves:
Who are we? Why are we here? To what purpose do I have in living? How can I live a meaningful life?
These questions aren’t only for believers of course, but also those who are not.
There is something fundamentally woven into our nature that calls us forward. That “forward” is perceived differently by different cultures throughout the world; unfortunately, many Americans seem to have lost sight of that sense of “forward.”
Social media, reels, and TikTok culture is like a colossal boulder that continually rolls through the mind of the populace. We can try to avoid them, but we are inevitably pulled in. Despite religious resurgence in America, social media makes it harder and harder for us to keep our eyes on the prize.
Our world is full of distractions, but we all still have that inner voice that calls us to something higher. So what we ask here is: what is our call to go “forwards?”
What is the Call?
Every human, in small or great measure, feels the pull of a calling.
Still, there is something out there more than just a feeling. In the Judeo-Christian sense, the call is not only inward but spoken by God and explicit.
Both Old and New Testaments show this repeatedly throughout. Perhaps one of the most famous moments in the Old Testament comes with the call of Abram:
“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’
So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.” — Genesis 12:1-4
Abram was seventy-five when the command came. It wasn’t a call from within himself, but one received by the Word of God.
He was a man who journeyed with his family through areas that were not his own, traveling west from northern Mesopotamia working his way to an area called Canaan — which is modern day Israel/Palestine. We can imagine his traveling lifestyle: setting up tents, herding flocks, negotiating with authorities, and encountering nations. We also can see however, the radical change his life takes when given the command to “go.”
Being 75 years old is also an important feature here with Abram; because by that point, he had wandered through cities, traded with nations, and likely witnessed the sway of other gods and customs. Yet, God called him still. He was past his prime age, but He told him simply: go.
What this may suggest is that though some of us have great amounts of experience, we sometimes get so accustomed to the world that we forget there is a greater calling. And sometimes, that may be when the sound of the call is heard most — when we’re lost and wandering.
God’s call to Abram is a call to adventure. It’s a direction. It’s an invitation to discovery rather than comfort. It helped Abram find the path forth to his fullest self. His most meaningful self — the father of nations and patriarch for generations to come.
The call wasn’t easy to accept. Though Abram took the challenge in faith, he certainly wasn’t a perfect man. He fell along the way, doubted, sinned, and lied. Nevertheless, he responded to the call and chose to act. He went.
This world, with its unknowns, has untold risks and dangers. But despite those risks we must respond to the call forward with intrepidness. The call is to be bold in the face of the unknown.
Like Abram, we are beckoned forward to the great adventure of life and its unknowns. A world unbeknownst to us and ever-changing.
We must choose to act boldly on this calling for mankind.
How do We Choose to Go?
One of the interesting things about this life is how much choice we all really have. We have choice in our actions, our decisions, and especially our attitudes. One of the most important choices however, is how we respond.
Similar to Abram, the charge to go forth takes new form in the gospels. In the book of Matthew, Jesus having risen at this point, said:
“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” — Matthew 28:18-20
This passage is known as the Great Commission — highlighting an essential process of evangelism for Christians. Notice here also, we find the reoccurrence of the term “go.”
Christ calls all believers to go out into the world to make disciples. That adventurous, bold, provocative, and daring word appears once again. The call remains for us today.
One cannot make disciples unless they first respond by going. One cannot change the world without hearing and acting on the call. One cannot baptize without first responding themselves. A person cannot find meaning unless they ground themselves first. So how do we do it? We do it by taking action one step at a time.
The Great Commission is more than just for believers — it’s a call for all those who seek to live a higher life. A life more holy that is more dutiful and fulfilling.
Hearing and listening to the call on its own doesn’t get you there. Act. Respond. Make small steps forward.
Bravely face the unknown, strive within it, and the rest will follow.
For us to “go,” it’s also necessary to consider where we are and how we can move forward despite our circumstances. Perhaps some of us are exactly where we want to be, while others are nowhere near where they want to be.
Lessons of the past can teach us to bear with the hard, the sin, the falling short — while also keeping focused on the call to go forth. The first World War is an interesting example…
A moment during the Great War
The outbreak of World War I — widely known as “the Great War” in that period — resulted in millions of dead and wounded, extreme amounts of trauma, and years of widespread psychological torment.
The war was brutal. Perhaps the most brutal in history.
Still, in the early parts of the war, there was one moment that forever stands aglow amidst its dark history. And that moment, was the famous Christmas Truce of 1914.
In Martin Gilbert’s complete history, he wrote of an account given on what took place that year:
“That Christmas, a spontaneous outburst of pacific feeling took place in the war zones, as the troops of every European army celebrated their Saviour’s birth. For nearly five months the war had been fought with mounting severity. Suddenly, as darkness fell on Christmas Eve, there was, in sections of the front line, a moment of peaceable behaviour. ‘We got into conversation with the Germans who were anxious to arrange an Armistice during Xmas,’ a 25-year-old lieutenant with the Scots Guards, Sir Edward Hulse, wrote in his battalion’s war diary. ‘A scout named F. Murker went out and met a German Patrol and was given a glass of whisky and some cigars, and a message was sent back saying that if we didn’t fire at them they would not fire at us.’ That night, on a front where five days earlier there had been savage fighting, the guns were silent. On the following morning, German soldiers walked across towards the British wire and British soldiers went out to meet them. ‘They appeared to be most amicable and exchanged Souvenirs, cap stars, Badges etc.,’ noted Hulse.
— — —
‘Detachments of British and Germans formed a line and a German and English Chaplain read some prayers alternatively. The whole of this was done in great solemnity and reverence.’”
— Martin Gilbert, Towards the First Christmas. “The First World War: A Complete History”
Sometimes in the darkest and most unknown places, the call is received and responded to. The call to be brave in the face of unimaginable danger.
This war is indeed unimaginable for those of us living today.
The brutality, tragedy, and animalistic behavior this war would pull you to is unthinkable. A war where you fight knee deep in water-filled trenches with death’s scythe of disease looming. It’s hard to believe that one may see their calling in that environment. But these soldiers did.
They saw the opportunity to put down arms. They saw the time to choose right and honor each other as fellow men. They heard God’s charge to go into the unknown and thrive despite the circumstances. And what did they do?
While in an unknown and dangerous moment, they chose God over violence when the moment came.
The lesson remains true for all generations. The call rings out to “go.” Despite our circumstances, despite our attitudes or hatred for one another, despite the turmoil, the triumphs — the invitation and instruction to live at a higher level remains open and resounding for all.
We are charged to go forth with optimism and bravery. So stop waiting…
GO!
Works referenced:
All images cited within paper are AI generated
Gilbert, M. (2004). The First World War, second edition: A Complete History. Macmillan.