"What is my life calling?" One of the most crucial life questions that sends some to the ends of the earth and back looking for answers.
The question of life calling, or purpose, has long been one of the most popular topics for Christians, but also among people in general, especially today in Western-world culture where individual accomplishment and personal growth are highly valued. Just go to your local bookstore and you'll find "self-help" books flooding the shelves attempting to guide people in their search for meaning in life. When people use the term "life calling" they are essentially speaking of discovering one's purpose in life, what God has created them to do.
Now, the first thing that should be mentioned before going further is that God's primary life calling for you and I is to know Him as Savior, to come into a living relationship with Jesus. That is number one, numero uno, the purpose before all else and above all else. Nothing will ever be more important and nothing can ever replace this as the greatest purpose of your life. Scripture tells us that the greatest commandment is to love God with all of your heart (Matt. 22:37). Anything else that you designate as your reason for living, from work to family to friendships to sports, will disappoint in some form or another (probably already has). They were never intended to bear that responsibility. The designation of top spot is for the One who created you, and nothing else can completely fill that space.
But let's just assume that you understand that already. You know the most important calling is to respond to Jesus as Lord. To spend your life getting to know Him more. That is great! But this is where we often get stuck. We say, "I understand that first I'm called to know Jesus. Got it. But now what am I supposed to do for the next 40 years of my life?" This is the aspect of life calling I want to explore further. The part where we desire to know more about what God wants us to do now that we are following Him...what He has designed us to do and where we feel passionate and alive.
I spent years of my life searching for God's calling, most of that time feeling frustrated and confused as I went through the process. Trying on different jobs, changing careers, trying to find the "perfect" line of work that would bring the purpose and meaning I always longed for. And nothing ever satisfied me. Not completely at least. For some reason, I had developed the mentality that God's calling on my life was limited to a specific area of work...that my calling was directly tied to a profession. I know I'm not the only person who has thought this way. Thankfully, during these years of searching (with much restlessness) God began to teach me more and more about life calling.
I read a book a few years ago that really transformed much of the way I thought about the question of life calling. The book, It's Your Call, was written by Christian author Gary Barkalow, who has spent years exploring this very issue in his own life. He eventually realized that helping others discover their life calling was a part of his own. Anyhow, one particular concept from his text I have not forgotten. I found it transformational. I'll share a quote from that section to summarize his thoughts about calling. He says:
"You see, your calling, or glory, is in you. It's not something you go get, like a degree, job, or title. It's already written in your life, though it can and must be developed. Your glory (calling) compels you to do something in every situation, a compulsion that you can choose to go with, hold back from, or ignore. It is what your heart almost always sees, knows, notices, wants to do, or is burdened by. Your glory is written on your heart, and you must go there to discover and understand it."
So much changed for me when I began to see that my calling was much bigger than any job. I always thought I had to find the "perfect" job, and only then would I discover my true calling. I was looking outward to find it. All the while it was in me. There will never be a job that will completely, 100%, fit me as a person. Yes, some jobs will be a better match for me than others based on my gifts and personality, and certainly God will lead us to specific work to serve Him. But no job could ever define exactly who God has made me to be in this world. How could it? That would be an insult to the greatness of God who created us each so uniquely and intricately detailed with our various gifts, personalities and preferences. How could a man-made job description ever totally define exactly who I am as God's only creation exactly made as I am?
What a revelation when God started to show me that my calling is in me...in my gifts, personality, desires, and things I feel burdened for in life. What freedom to not have my calling tied directly to a profession or job title. I'm too uniquely made for that! I finally began to see that I take my calling with me everywhere I go...no matter the job, and offer it to the world around me to show God's glory.
For example, one aspect of my calling is to encourage others, especially those who are discouraged. To lift them up, wake them up, help them see themselves how God sees them. So, no matter the job I have, I can take this aspect of my calling and use it. If I'm a missionary, a teacher or a businessman, I can use this part of my calling to encourage those around me and help them see God through that. I may have other job responsibilities, yet I can still offer the unique calling in the midst of all the tasks I take on.
Maybe for you one aspect of your calling could be to create beauty, something inside you always longs to do this. Of course, you could use that in your job as an artist or architect, but also in other areas of life, like creating beauty at your church which helps people to feel/see God more clearly. Or creating beauty in your home for your family to help create a peaceful environment and to show how God uses beauty to speak to us. He certainly loves to create beauty to speak to us. All we need to do is look at a sunset.
This is merely an example of an area that could be an aspect of a person's calling. But the point is, our calling is SO much bigger than a job title. Yes, it is good when our profession aligns closely with those things we feel called to do (ex: an encourager working as a counselor/therapist to hurting people), and we all want to enjoy our work. And it is certainly ok to seek God about the right places and positions. But don't worship the idol of needing the "perfect job," like I did for so long (and still struggle with at times). Remember, our calling goes with us everywhere we go, and can be offered to the world no matter the work. We don't have to wait for the ideal job to feel we have finally found our calling.
I have no idea how God has gifted you and designed you, what things you feel burdened to do. You will have different areas to discover about yourself and your calling. But begin by looking inside, and God will show you more...how He has uniquely designed you, gifted you and placed specific desires in you. There is so much more inside of us than we realize, all of which can reveal His glory and serve the world around us.
You see, we've been chasing our calling all over the world and all the while it has been "calling" to us from within. Go there with God to discover more about how He designed you and start offering this glory to the world around you, no matter your job or title. And in this people will see the glory of your Creator.
By Ryan Walters
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