Have you ever been called to something greater than yourself? It is something that I have contemplated at times, especially when considering a lifelong vocation. There are moments when I wonder if it is all worth it, and other times when I know that it is. At the outset, however, it is hard to tell if a calling is something we know is for us, or something that we grow into as time goes by.
A different view
Recently, I had the wonderful privilege of interviewing Ken Duncan AO, the famous artist who is known far and wide for his stunning landscape photography of the Australian outback. But many may not know of Ken’s humble beginnings.
“I grew up on a small station where my parents were serving as missionaries out in the Kimberleys”, Duncan says slowly, pausing for a moment. It is clear that he values his childhood upbringing, and he means it.
Growing up amongst the indigenous peoples of the land, Duncan realised that the population needed something to spark their creativity. There was a natural curiosity that could be captured in time, and he set about to find out just that.
When I was first introduced to creative writing, I was told that though a picture may be worth a thousand words, one word was worth more than a thousand pictures. It was this that sparked my interest in telling my own unique story from a personal perspective. It wasn’t until years later that I began to appreciate that art, like words, took many years to develop, and was often sparked by a single idea. This shifted my perspective on how I could express different ideas in meaningful ways, sometimes outside of my own comfort zone.
The bigger picture
“Did you know that 65 percent of indigenous people identified themselves as Christians in the last census?” Duncan asked me rhetorically. I was as amazed as he was, probably moreso.
It was this interest in the indigenous landscape that drew Duncan to his lifelong work. “An adventure with the power of photography in rural areas sparked my interest in indigenous communities”, Duncan says. This initial work eventually led to the establishment of what is now known as the Walk a While Foundation, the concept being “"if you want to get to know someone, you have to walk a while with them".
Nowadays, Duncan has been working tirelessly on starting an education centre focusing on photography, cinematography and music to get people trained in regards to creating jobs in tourism.
I often look back fondly on my time when I realised that my creative passion could eventually form the basis on my vocation. At the time, I had no idea that anyone would read my writing, let alone ask me to speak on it. When I finally got to the States during my seminary degree, I took a class where I was asked to visit at least two places of worship outside of my community, and request to speak on a topic of my choice. Timidly, I found myself on a Sunday morning, standing in front of a totally American audience, speaking on the topic of wisdom. How unwise, I think to myself, looking back in hindsight. But the memory of that message still sticks with me to that day, as it started a ripple effect to this day, where I am now paid to speak on a topic of my choice.
Despite often being financially compensated for my time, I find it more appealing to speak on tough topics outside of my comfort zone, because of the time when I first spoke on such a topic so many years ago.
The final masterpiece
“I often find myself going back there to simply spend time with the community”, Duncan admits. “When indigenous people were singing songs to Jesus in the ‘sing-a-long’ style of worship, for hours, time simply vanished", he says.
When you find yourself in the right place in the right time, time seems to slow down, and the moments, because they matter so much, are not timebound. It is as if where you are is where you are meant to be.
So often in life, that is simply not the case. We find ourselves in a constant state of commotion, caught up in a whirlwind of activity that we cannot seem to find a moment’s rest, or a time to contemplate a day gone by.
Yet when God calls us to be where He wants us to be, we find ourselves in a place that brings peace.
As Scripture says,
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” - Isaiah Chapter 26 Verse 3 (NIV)
In other words, we find rest in the assurance that God calls us to a place in which we can find our purpose in Him, and, in so doing, we find a peace that is so indescribable.
Though life is a journey that is never quite finished, we walk in the hope that we will one day become His masterpiece.