Perceived Calling

The TV series Outer Range (created by Brian Watkins, Amazon Studios, 2022) tells the story of a Wyoming rancher, Royal Abbott, who fights for his land and family and finds a mysterious anomaly near his home. Royal, a nominal Christian and maybe even an agnostic, is more concerned about his land, the safety of his family, and a massive chasm that recently appeared on his property than he is about being a good person, doing what’s right, and being faithful to the God he prays to before supper. His perceived calling—which is related to his land, his family, and the mysterious hole in his backyard—supersedes the calling to live a life that is holy and pleasing to God. If he would focus more on the moral will of God, then everything else might fall into place. Instead, he focuses solely on the general and sovereign will of God, while ignoring the moral will of God—the values of the kingdom. This might just lead to his demise.