we choose to be chosen

some of the workers in our community were complaining to me last night that community work is proving to be a burden.
most of us in the community are single, unattached young professionals. because we have time for community work, we were given assignments - either to head a chapter or a ministry.
now our community is getting bigger. with it, the tasks to be done and the responsibilities we have to shoulder.
i had tried serving as assistant head of a chapter myself and i would say the tasks are not peanuts. i was assigned last month to head a forthcoming chapter. since may, i was technically on vacation as we're still looking for a parish to host that new chapter.
so i was not really pressured as those other workers who never had a hiatus from the community work.
but i recall having those misgivings when i was deep in the ministry. indeed, why should young people like us carry a yoke when we could have an easy life?
we could just go to the movies after office hours and enjoy our lives and our freedom, and not rush to the prayer meetings, fellowship, ministry meetings, the stuff of community life.
we could just care about our own affairs and not minister to the spiritual needs of other people, who are total strangers to us.
my tired fellow vineyard workers said they get a respite once in a while from community work, but only to be transfered to a bigger assignment. their lives are not theirs anymore.
our lives are not ours anymore. we looked into each other eyes and we fell silent for awhile. when i spoke up, i said that's true, in our case.
i have a choice to back out and return to my old life. but that's not me anymore.
in assignments like these it's God who calls the shots. It's Him who chooses, but then i would say it happens when we choose to be chosen.
it's like the Lord throws a dice and asks who wants points. we raise our hands to say aye! and the dice falls infront of us.