God or the Girl - Thoughts on Vocation (Part 5)

I have been watching a series on A&E entitled God or the Girl. In a nutshell, it is a reality show about four (4) young men trying to discern whether they are called to be Roman Catholic priests. Unlike their protestant counterparts, they are also struggling with the requirement of celibacy. One of the themes I have noticed has been the need to sacrifice for God. Yes, I agree, we should expect trials and tribulations as believers. However, what I find interesting is if their lives do not seem to be sacrificial enough they then artificially create some hardship. For instance, when challenged by his priest, a guy named Dan builds an eighty (80) pound cross out of wood and then commences to carry it down the highway for twenty-two (22) miles! This is when theology matters. I am reminded of Luther's work on vocation, "The cross is not to be chosen by us; it is laid upon us by God, i.e. the cross comes to us uninvoked in our vocation." Wingren, Gustaf, Luther on Vocation, 53 (1957). My heart goes out to these guys because I doubt they have ever been exposed to the biblical doctrine of vocation. Like most kids their age, they are making life changing decisions based on some very bad theology. Only by the grace of God I escaped making some very bad decisions along the way. Nonetheless, I wish someone would have introduced me to Luther's work while I was in college. It would have saved me a lot of grief.