Discover Your Purpose & CallingSample

I believe God created us with such intentionality that if we only knew, we’d be facedown in worship until we go to heaven. And not just the things we deem to be beautiful either. The “flaws” are intentional too. They’re all there to bring Him glory.

Years ago, I received clear direction from the Lord about a situation I felt led to help with. When I shared what was on my heart with someone whose opinion I valued, she said, “Oh, you’re just a rescuer, and that’s why you feel that way.” I felt dismissed and labeled, and I struggled to figure out whether she was right. Thankfully, a wise pastor counseled me and said, “So what if you are a rescuer? What if God put that in you to do this very job? What if this is the perfect attribute to help in this situation and it was intentional? What if God created you that way on purpose?”

I never saw it the same way again. Every attribute I have, I now see as God’s design. And every character trait (when under submission to God) is exactly what He intended. It’s in me for a reason, no matter what others think or say about it. God put it there, so I’m going to seek Him for how to use it. So, I want to ask you the same thing. What if the thing someone told you to stop doing is actually the most important part of who God made you to be?

When we are fully who God created us to be, He gets the glory because we can do the things He has put on our heart/

What if the thing someone told you to stop doing is actually the most important part of who God made you to be?

RUN TOWARD YOUR CALLING

Sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint your calling, and other times it’s like an old friend that’s been with you for years. If you know what you’re passionate about, run toward your calling. Don’t run away assuming you can’t make money with it. Whether it’s organic gardening, knitting, analyzing numbers, getting to know people, shopping for clothes, or really anything else you can name, there’s probably someone making a comfortable living from that same passion.

That doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. There may not be a wellworn path directing you where to go, and the climb may get rocky. But it’s worth the chase. Don’t concede to spending your whole life doing work you’re not passionate about—there is more for you!

And if you don’t know what you’re gifted to do, then take heart, my friend. Everyone’s journey to this discovery is different. Here are a few questions that might help:

• What comes easier to you than to most?
• What feels like work to others but feels like fun to you?
• What can you do that leaves you wondering why most people aren’t good at it?

For many of us, it’s hard to see the forest for the trees. We’re often too close to our gifts or passion and can’t seem to see them amid the day-to-day tasks. In these moments I often suggest asking an honest and direct friend or spouse for his or her opinion. What does that person think you’re passionate about? This is often a good clue.

Another great way to unearth your passion is to look at your journey so far. A seasoned gardener can look at seedlings and get a clue of what kind of fruit the plant will produce. Even a novice gardener can deduce the difference between carrot, tomato, cabbage, and squash plants long before the harvest. So it is with our lives.

In his book The Art of Work, Jeff Goins explains, “A calling is what you have when you look back at your life and make sense of what it’s been trying to teach you all along.”

When you consider the unique circumstances you’ve faced, the obstacles you’ve overcome, and the types of things you’ve been drawn to, you’ll often see a pattern. These are the clues that God has given you.