Trust the Whisper: Finding Courage for Your CallingНамуна

When we are trying to find purpose in life, we make the very human mistake of trying to control the outcome. We look around at others and try to achieve their success.

I want to be as famous as Oprah.

I want to be as rich as Bill Gates.

I want to be as successful as Dolly Parton.

The problem, of course, is that not only do we not have their same gifts, but only God knows if that was the plan he had for them. Trusting the Whisper to have courage for your call means we don’t start with an end game in mind and work backwards. We can’t begin with, “I want to be Mother Theresa,” and then try to become a saint. We begin by reframing our idea of purpose more in line with God’s. Try instead to reframe your purpose in the language of calling.

I want to live a life of service.

I want to use my gifts to help others.

I want to leave the world a better place.

We start by understanding our gifts, listening for our whispers, having faith in our call and the courage to begin what it is asking. Along the way we meet others who are trusting their whispers and together, we might have a collective whisper to work for good.

Most whispers do not come with fame and fortune attached. We might be living exactly who we were meant to be and never earn a million dollars or receive a Nobel Prize for our purpose. But if you are trusting your whispers and answering your call, you will find fulfillment. Your restlessness will change to peace in knowing that the life you are living is exactly the one you were meant to be living. And even a task as impossible as building homes for the homeless becomes possible—because with God, all things are possible.

All your life, God has been patiently waiting and whispering for you to pay attention.

Trust the Whisper.

When you do, the life you can’t see is infinitely richer and more significant than the life you can see and thought you could plan.

Time for Reflection

(If you don’t have time to reflect on all three, choose one that you want to explore)

1. How can you reframe your purpose into the language of calling and prepare to listen?
2. How would you hope to use your gifts?
3. How can you begin using one of your gifts in a small act of kindness today?

Prayer for the Day

(This is an offering for you or choose own prayer for the day)

God, help me believe that you have a plan for me and the gifts you gave me. Let me use them for good in service to the world in small ways every day. And someday, when you call on me for a bigger leap of faith, give me faith and courage to answer. Amen.