A young man steps into an office. It’s the Great Depression and he needs to find work. His chosen profession: telegraph operator. He’s answered an ad in the newspaper and goes to the telegraph office to interview. He knows Morse Code and is highly qualified, but the large, noisy office is crowded with other applicants. 

Customers come and go and the noise of a telegraph clacks away in the background. A sign on the receptionist's counter instructs applicants to fill out a form and wait to be summoned for an interview. The young man does so and then sits down to wait. 

With a growing look of confidence, he stands up, crosses the room to the inner office, and strides right in. Naturally the other applicants perk up, wondering at his boldness. They talk among themselves and finally determine that the man will likely be reprimanded for not following instructions and probably disqualified for the job. 

Within a few minutes, however, the young man emerges from the inner office escorted by an official, who announces to the other applicants, “Thank you all very much for coming, but the job has just been filled.” They are all confused and one man speaks up: “Wait a minute – I don’t understand. We have been waiting longer than he and we never even got a chance to be interviewed.” The employer responds, “All the time you've been sitting here, the telegraph has been ticking out the following message: ‘If you understand this, then come right in. The job is yours.’”

There is a great spiritual lesson in this story. We all want blessings, good things to come our way, but too often we wait for things to come to us instead of actively pursuing those blessings. The young man was focused on his “calling” and listened for opportunities to apply that calling. 

Here are five important steps on the path to seeking right blessings:

- Be faithful and apply God’s way (Proverbs 28:20)

- Blessings will overtake you if you obey God (Deuteronomy 28:2)

- Listen and have true life (Isaiah 55:3)

- Don’t waste time, now is your calling to salvation (2 Corinthians 6:1-2)

- Remember the blessings you already have (Psalm 103:2)

The young man got the job because he filtered what he heard through what he wanted to do and be.  Why should our Christian calling be any different? 

God is tapping away in the background all of the time, are you listening?