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Presented by Lisa Bishop
Before we dive in let me tell you that the idea of discerning calling has been a journey for me. The topic of calling can be confusing and sometimes frustrating as we try to figure out how God is leading us. While I do not have all the answers, I hope to give you food for thought that fuels you to find time to spend with the Lord who will give you guidance and clarity on your calling as you seek him. As a working definition of calling, I want to look at what John Maxwell has to say.
“Calling is God’s personal invitation (for me) to work on His agenda, using the talents I (you) have been given in ways that are eternally significant.”
I love that reminder of truth. As followers of Jesus, when we live out our calling, we ultimately do so to glorify God. We steward the gifts and talents he has uniquely gifted us. When we think about calling it can be so easy to think it is about us but it’s not. Now, I do believe God wants us to experience fulfillment in the things he has for us to do, but that is not the end goal.
And as we think about calling it is so much more than just a job or career path. Ultimately whatever we do and the way we live is meant to serve God’s purpose. God calls us to serve and contribute our giftings in a way that is consistent with how he created us. Discerning our calling is about learning how God has designed us to glorify him, serve his purposes, and serve others.
We will focus on the career aspect of our calling, but before we do that, we must be absolutely clear that our first calling as followers of Jesus is to a relationship with him. If we do not grasp that our highest calling is to live in vibrant, continual communion with God through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit and to be an ambassador of Christ no matter where he places us, then we miss the point. Our specific callings cannot be properly engaged apart from a deep relationship with Jesus. Only out of our relationship with him does our subsequent calling, the work God has created us to do, come.
Everything begins and ends with the vitality of our walk with Jesus and listening to the Holy Spirit. If we do not have a consistent rhythm of spending time in Scripture, on our knees in prayer, drawing near and pressing our ear to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, we will have little confidence that our thoughts and our walk will be in alignment with him. It is essential we cultivate true abiding with Jesus if we want a chance of discerning his voice from our own when making career and calling decisions.
We do not want to make a move without a move of the Holy Spirit, and we simply cannot take shortcuts by cutting God out of the picture and not intentionally taking the time to seek him. As we wrestle with calling, it may require fasting or even taking some time to get out of the hustle and bustle of life and into a remote location. Take time to journal, pray, listen, and respond.
Renewing your mind in the Word will be crucial to discerning your calling. Hearing God’s call requires posturing yourself to hear his voice.
And let me say this, our identity is to be found in our relationship with Christ, not in the work God calls us to or our job title.
I read a quote the other day that said, “You are not here to make a living….You are here to enrich the world” (Woodrow Wilson).
God created us to work, it’s a blessing, not a curse. Our work can have eternal purpose, and our lives can have fullness and meaning through the work God calls us to.
Something to note, your calling does not necessarily have to be the way you make money. It may be. But you also may be called to serve your community or church, raise kids, or care for aging parents. Whether we use our gifts to serve in the workplace, our homes, or communities, as Colossians 3:23 says, whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters….
As it relates to our careers and calling in the workplace, our mindset matters. If our biggest priority is a career with status and a healthy 401K we may miss out on our unique calling because we are chasing worldly things rather than running after God. It is so easy to get sucked into the undertow of what the world deems as success that we miss out on true fulfillment in life, being fully in step with God, and that is something money can’t buy.
Don’t try to fit into someone else’s calling. Sometimes someone else’s career path looks glitzier and more glamorous, but you don’t want to be in the wrong place. Be mindful of knowing, as they say, “All that glitters is not gold.” Do not sacrifice the shine of someone else’s assignment for your divine calling.
When we live out our calling, we experience an incredible sense of meaning from our work only God can provide. We have peace and satisfaction even in the hard times because we sense we are where God has placed us to carry out his plan.
I have heard people jokingly say they don’t want to ask God what their calling is because what if he calls them to be a missionary in a foreign country. I have also heard people say God would not call you somewhere you don’t want to go but I am not so sure if that is true. He may just call you somewhere you didn’t have on your radar, but when he calls you, if you respond in faith and with gratitude instead of resisting, I am pretty sure God will change your heart and you will be glad you listened.
That does not mean it will be easy. Living in our calling will still have its messes and mishaps, its highs, lows, and periods of the mundane. Don’t let the hard times scare you off. This is where it’s crucial to stay near to God. Come near to God and he will come near to you (James 4:8).
Sometimes your calling is glaring at you in the face. It’s not a question of what it is, but if you are willing to accept it. One of the ways God calls us is to make things so obvious that we might wrestle with if we want to do it, but at the same time, we have an inner knowing of what we are supposed to do.
Sometimes it’s that golden opportunity that falls in your lap or an option that clearly has God’s fingerprints all over it because you could not have dreamed it up or made it happen on your own.
Sometimes we have an idea of what our calling is, but it seems too hard, so we drag our feet or try to forgo the call. If you are being called by God in a certain direction, in the long run, it will be more painful and uncomfortable to ignore it (think Jonah!), so lean into it now.
The timing of your calling may not be in sync with your clock, so you’ll also have to learn to be content while you wait. God will give you a holy discontentment and open a door when it’s time to make a move. Use your waiting time wisely. Calling always operates within the boundaries of God’s timing. We can’t rush it. Timing is everything. We may see things as detours and delays but perhaps it’s God working out his divine plan on his schedule. He is all-knowing and we are not.
A calling is something that might scare you, but it also lights you up. When God places a desire on your heart, he uses that desire to call you to something over time. As you pray and seek his plan, pay attention as he brings people, circumstances, and opportunities your way.
God will prepare you. If you have a sense of what you are passionate about, take steps to build your skills, get educated and trained, and take opportunities to practice your skills so you are prepared when the opportunity comes knocking at your door. God equips who he calls and calls who he equips!
It makes me think of the story of King David. He didn’t start out as king of Israel, he began his “career” caring for sheep. That doesn’t sound like a very glamorous job. But he was faithful where God had him. In 1 Samuel we see how David’s shepherding skills equipped him to take down Goliath.
But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a sheep from the flock, I went out after it and attacked it, and rescued the sheep from its mouth; and when it rose up against me, I grabbed it by its mane and struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them since he has defied the armies of the living God” (1 Samuel 17:34-36).
Little did David know his faithfulness as a shepherd would eventually prepare him to defeat God’s enemies and position him to lead God’s people.
Don’t despise what looks like small beginnings.
As you consider your life, what might God be preparing you for? Be careful not to miss how he is training and developing you now for what is next.
Our calling will often be riddled with risk, overwhelming fear, feelings of inadequacy, and intimidation when we are face-to-face with it but filled with gratification when we step into it.
A question you might be asking yourself is, “How do I know if what I am sensing is fantasy or from God?”
It won’t come to fruition if it’s not from God. When it is ordained by God and we are walking in obedience to him, nothing can thwart the call.
Ask others around you who are walking with the Lord to confirm what they see in you too. Sometimes God will use people in our lives to call out the giftings and call us to walk in them.
When you are living in your calling, obstacles will come your way, but you will not be discouraged. You won’t find yourself easily defeated and ready to bail when hurdles are heaved at you. You just know you are in the place you are meant to be, and nothing will stop you and cause you to stray.
One thing I have learned over time is that your calling may not necessarily mean you will stay in the same place forever. While our gifts, skills, and talents don’t change exponentially, where God places you to use them might. For example, I know I am made to impact people’s lives, being a catalyst for growth and transformation and equipping people with skills and mindsets that set them up to thrive personally, professionally, relationally, and spiritually. But over the course of my life, my calling has put me in different places with different people—in the corporate arena as well as church settings.
What is something you have always enjoyed doing? Something that gives you joy and is hard but easy at the same time. Something that compels, drives, and pushes you in life that cannot be ignored, dismissed, or brushed aside.
If you were guaranteed a huge salary regardless of which career you chose, what would you do?
What price are you willing to pay to pursue the desire that God has placed on your heart?
What do you need to let go of to take hold of what God is calling you to? Or what action do you need to take to get quiet with God so you can hear his leading?
Are you open and surrendered to God and his plan?
Proverbs 19:21 says, many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.
Follow your calling one step at a time. Are you getting an inkling to write a book? Join a Board of Directors? Mentor a woman from church? Volunteer at a local charity? Take a class, learn a language, or create an LLC? Take that step and see where it leads. You’ll rarely get the full picture. That’s what walking by faith and not sight entails.
I have often wondered why finding our calling can feel so hard. I mean, can’t God just tell us the tasks he has for us, and we do them? I’m sorry to say there is no silver bullet. For most of us, settling into our calling is a complex and mysterious process that requires a consistent connection with God and attention to the move of his Spirit through all seasons of our lives.
As you seek to live your life fully surrendered to the grand plan God has, heed the reminder in Mathew 6:33, Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
As we conclude, receive this powerful prayer the apostle Paul prayed over the Church at Ephesus. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen (Ephesians 3:20-21).