Are You pursuing Your Calling?

Are you fulfilling your purpose or calling? I have asked myself that many times. We often think of our calling or purpose as the career we pursue in life, but is it? What made you choose your career was it the expectations of your: parents, teachers, community, and social norms, or was it what you really wanted to do? Do you recall ever being asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” What was your answer? I was asked that question many times and my reply was always that I wanted to be a soldier, but when I was old enough to apply to the military, I was denied because of health reasons. Most times when a child is asked that question, they will enthusiastically state the type of job they want to do when they become adults. Some may even say they want to be a parent. Over the years this may change to other types of jobs and eventually, a choice is made. They may even change the type of job they do several times in their lifetime.

 

Many factors may have contributed to the choice and sometimes it is not a right fit for a person, still, they feel happy and fulfilled pursuing that career. In some cases, someone may feel trapped based on their situation, especially if they need to pursue that career to pay the bills and they can see no other option. They settle in it and as the years go by, they become more and more disillusioned. This type of situation does not only happen with a career but with other aspects of life also. It may be the ministry you serve in, the spouse you have, your lifestyle, the country you live in, or the dream you have to do something different. Is our calling about our career, marriage, having children, or our lifestyle? You may have checked all the boxes on what you consider the perfect plan for your life and still an emptiness persists. You may feel like you are not living up to your full potential and wonder if you are fulfilling the purpose that God has for your life. Many Christians face the same challenges and frustrations as they try to discover and follow God's will for their lives.

Is there hope? Can things change? Can I change my situation and begin to pursue my passion and purpose? Yes, yes there is hope. You can change. You can transform your situation. It won't be easy, but it can be done. The first step is to acknowledge how you feel and confess it to the Lord in prayer. Next, prepare to fight because changing one's situation is never easy and it will require persistence, faith, determination, and courage.

Fear is a major obstacle that you have to overcome. You may ask yourself, "Am I doing the right thing? Where will I get the money from? Will People think I am foolish? What will happen if it does not work? Am I sure this is what God wants me to do?" All these questions will begin to swirl in your mind and may scare you to not even try. As Jesus said fear brings torment.

The second step is to know and accept who God says you are. He says that you are His son or daughter (1 John 3 vs 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God) and since you are His child, and every good father takes care of their children you can be confident that Jesus will take good care of you. I remember when I lost my job, I was devastated, I had been praying for months to keep my job and when I was told that I was terminated I was gripped with fear. I asked myself, what am I going to do? How am I going to take care of my family? How soon can I bounce back? I then started to pray. I did not ask the Lord, "Why me?". I acknowledged my situation and asked Him for strength and favor to start rebuilding my career and fulfilling God’s purpose in my life.

 

What are some things that all Christians are called by God to do?

 

As Christians, we are called to live according to God's will and purpose. But what does that mean in practice? What is God’s will and how can we know what He wants us to do in our daily lives?

GOD’S WILL

God’s will is that all men and women have eternal life and none perish. His will is that we love Him with all our heart, body mind, and soul and love our brothers and sisters as we love ourselves. His love for us is so intense that He gave His Life on the cross so that we can all inherit eternal life, and He gave us His spirit so that His spirit will raise our self-esteem so that we love ourselves and love our brothers and sisters similarly. Can you just for a second imagine what this world would be like if we all accepted the Love of Jesus Christ and put into practice His principles. There would be no war, no famine, no starvation, no adultery, no fornication, and no abortion, We would all be living in love and harmony.

The Lord Jesus' will for us is clearly outlined in His words. He wants us to accept the gift of eternal life by repenting of our sins and to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2: 38). He then wants us to live a life pleasing to Him by applying His word to our lives daily. As we develop the habit of prayer, bible reading, fellowship, worship, and praise it changes how we think and act. As we learn from the Lord, we should practice what we learn with our spouses, children, family, and neighbors. Just like we apply what we learn in school in our daily lives, we should do the same with what we learn from Christ.

As Jesus changes us, we change our situation and we begin to see ourselves as He sees us. (Psalm 139:14 - "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.") As our self-esteem grows, we recognize that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. We can accept the fact that we are now the sons and daughters of reconciliation, and He has given us the ministry of reconciliation: (2 Corinthians 5:17-19 - "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.")

(Reconciliation means “The restoration of friendly relations and the action of making one view or belief compatible with another”.)

As we go about our daily lives, our lifestyle should impact those around us and help them to be reconciled with Christ. They should feel the love of Christ flowing through us and be stirred to want this love. Since they know that we are ambassadors for Christ they will gladly surrender their lives to Him also.

As good as all that sounds, it is easier said than done. However, it should become our goal and motivation to be like Him and to grow into love, for God is Love. You will fall many times during this quest, but His words, prayer, and Spirit will comfort you and keep you going forward. (Proverbs 24:16 - "For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again.")

I believe that your work is a means to an end. It brings in money to take care of the things that money is needed for, however, our complete purpose is attained when we incorporate Christ into our daily lives. Life is more than owning houses, cars, businesses, and having children and money. To attain the gift of eternal life, humanity living in harmony, no wars, no famines, no hate, just love for each other - that is life's purpose.