How Do I Know What I’m Called To Do?

 “How do I know what God’s calling me to do?”

“Does everyone have a calling on their lives?”

Spiritually-minded people, whether they refer to themselves as Christian or not, tend to have a strong sense that they’re supposed to be doing something worthwhile with their lives, to be helping the world become a better place in some way. As a result, they ask themselves about purpose and calling (click here for my thoughts about finding your purpose).

Because of that, just as has happened with the question of purpose, motivational speakers and preachers and self-proclaimed gurus have muddled the concept until you’re either convinced you’re a spiritual dumbbell, or that you have to go through five years of expensive retreats and-or fifty mind-bending steps in order to figure out what you’ve been called to do.

The big, fat lie regarding calling.

Many people end up falling into a pit of dismay when they’re trying to wade through all the philosophy and theories surrounding the idea of being called, because they hear about all sorts of people who declare that they’ve always known their calling, whether it be of the religious type or not. They talk about all the decades they’ve spent following their calling, and how fulfilled and joyful it’s made their lives. And because this one particular type of lifetime calling is continually thrown up into our faces as The Prototype of what it means to “be called,” the rest of us are left to believe we’re either not called to do anything, or that we’re too dense to figure it out.

Some people with a certain belief system even fear burning in hell for eternity because they can’t figure it out.

And thus, the purpose-and-calling gurus take advantage of this fear and make loads of money in the process.

But though God may call some people to participate in a certain ministry or career for their entire lives – I’m not entirely certain that He does; more on that in a later post – He doesn’t call most of us in that way. The truth is, for most of us God’s calling on our lives regularly, and sometimes frequently, changes.

Calling isn’t about passion, interests, or money.

Before I write another word, let me make this one thing clear:

If you hear someone say that either your purpose or calling is tied up in how much money you can make from it, run, don’t walk, in the opposite direction.

More than one Christian leader out there has begun preaching a message that goes above and beyond the prosperity gospel. They are saying that if a particular thing you’re interested or skilled in won’t make you a living income, then it can’t possibly be your purpose or calling.

That is complete and utter cow dung. And, if you're a person of faith, completely contrary to what the Bible teaches.

That settled, allow me to explain to you how to discover and walk in God’s calling for you. There are three simple, even easy, steps. The first is to live your life to the best of your ability, with the intention of making the world around you a better place.

The second is to keep your eyes open to opportunity. Each moment provides a unique opportunity to show and spread love and encouragement.

The third step is to examine the opportunity before you and ask yourself a couple of questions. Number one, do you have the skills to step into it? Number two, when you consider availing yourself of the opportunity, does it sit right deep inside you? 

If God is calling you to take hold of any particular opportunity, contemplating it should bring a sense of joy and peace, if not enthusiasm. While God's leading sometimes feels like a strong urge, it's most often a delicate, warm, silent, peace-filled, "Yes."

On the other hand, if, on thinking about the opportunity, you sense some kind of warning inside, or you feel a guilt-laden compulsion to do it, then it’s probably not something you’re supposed to do.

Examples of “callings” you’ll never hear the gurus talk about.

A calling can last a moment, or it can last a lifetime. For most of us, they consist of many moment-sized ones with longer, albeit short-term, ones in between. You may be called to:

**Smile at the stranger you’re passing on the street.

**Pick up the phone and talk to a family member or friend.

**Lend a listening ear to an acquaintance, perhaps even a stranger, at the grocery store or other public place.

**Volunteer with some kind of community service or non-profit organization.

**Lead a project in your community.

**Lend a hand to one of those projects.

**Play ball with the neighborhood kids whose dads have gone AWOL.

**Be a stay-at-home parent.

**Foster children

**Adopt children.

**Work a particular career for a certain period of your life.

**Partner financially with a given charity.

**Downsize your belongings and give what you no longer need to charity.

**Participate in a local fundraiser.

I could go on almost forever with this list, but you get my drift.

How to recognize your calling.

If you’re addicted to formulas, here you go:

Calling = opportunity + skill/knowledge to participate in opportunity + internal inspiration or divine nudge toward the opportunity.

But if you’re living life the best you can, with a heart to serve, you don’t have to worry about looking for callings. You’re going to walk right into them without even trying.

Peace to you, and may blessing abound in every area of your life.