My Example

Throughout my life, ever since childhood, I’ve believed God saved me and called me to make a difference for Him and with Him in this world. But also—paradoxically—I’ve repeatedly felt like I somehow missed my calling.

During my youth and college years, science fascinated me. But after earning a Ph.D. in chemistry, I discovered that the tedium of a lifetime of research in a very narrow sub-specialty suffocated me. Therefore, I lost the motivation and ability to persevere at medical research. However, God led me to a marvelous church where I learned a lot about the Bible and discipleship. In fact, I wished for a way to make a living at that instead of in science. For the first of many times in my life, I thought I’d missed my calling big-time, but I had no idea how to completely change course.

So I did the next best thing. I taught chemistry at the college level for 15 years. That was exciting at first, a better fit for me than scientific research, but still less impactful than my involvement in church and mission activities. For the second time, what I thought to be my calling lost its appeal, and again I worried I’d somehow missed God’s signals about my calling.

But then my desire for vocational Christian ministry was fulfilled when I became one of the pastors at Crossroads Church in the Pittsburgh area. That was so much fun! God did wonderful things through my ministry, and I grew so much in my faith. I thought God had finally brought me into my true calling. But then my responsibilities changed, I didn’t handle stress well, and a big health crisis prompted me to resign. This time, I didn’t think I’d missed my calling. Worse, I thought I’d blown my calling. I thought I wasn’t good enough, strong enough, savvy enough, or obedient enough.

Now, I’m a life coach who specializes in helping people find and fulfill their Christian calling. I’ve discovered, through research, biblical studies, my own life, and my clients’ journeys, that it’s normal—even necessary—to go through Crises of Calling.

Can You Identify with This?

Below are some examples of how it feels when you think you might have missed your calling:

• “I want more.” I’m seeing good results when I serve in God’s Kingdom. But I want more. Some aspects of what I’m doing now to make a difference for Christ are good, but I’m feeling less and less convinced that it’s a good fit.
• “I feel like I’m slogging through mud.” I work hard and long at my calling, but I don’t see much results. It even feels like I’m going backward.
• “I’ve really blown it.” I’ve made mistakes that make it hard to do what I believe God called me to do, i.e. I’ve neglected good health habits, gone into debt, blown up a relationship, sinned in a highly public or otherwise life-altering way, etc.
• “I feel like my entire life has been an endless but fruitless search for my calling.” I’m not sure God will ever fulfill my dream of finding and fulfilling my Christian calling.

All of these Christian-calling scenarios evoke anxiety, fear, anger, and depression.

Why You Haven’t Completely Missed Your Calling

Definition: Christian calling means to become who God created you to be and do what He created you to do.

It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. (Ephesians 1:11)

Most people think that Christian calling is simply doing what God created us to do. Furthermore, they believe that God always has a specific thing in mind that He wants us to do, and if we get off track, we have forever missed our calling.

I don’t believe that. If God has only one way for me to fulfill my calling, and I purposely or accidentally get off track, then that messes up a bunch of other people’s callings too. It’s like, if God only has one person in mind for me to marry, and I marry the wrong person, then my intended husband also marries the wrong person, and the man I marry has married the wrong person, and God’s will can never be right for anyone on the planet ever again!

Also, Christian calling is not just what we do. It starts with who we are. Most importantly, God values and loves me, not just what I do for Him. My calling comes out of the fact that I am an individual created purposely and uniquely by God. I am unique in countless ways, including my personality, family, culture, gifts, talents, passions, and strengths. I am who I am because of these traits and also because of my past experiences, including where I lived, who has built into my life, what has hurt me, and what I’ve become passionate about.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (Psalm 139:13-14)

Because my doing-calling comes out of my being-calling, there are many ways that I can express who I am through God’s guidance and power to make a difference in this world for Him. Therefore, God might call me to do many different calling roles in my life. And in fact, He has! But every time my calling role changes, I continue to use and build skills that I've used in every other calling role. In fact, Christian author Tony Stoltzfus discovered that all of our different calling roles converge during the last third of our life in the Fulfillment Stage of our calling. Click here to read more about that.

My personal opinion is that we need not worry too much about missing something really important from God, if we are indeed trying to hear and follow Him. Of course, we'll make mistakes. But God is God. If He really wants us to hear something, He'll find ways to tell us. He doesn't play games with us, forcing us to jump through hoops in order to hear Him. 

Of course, sometimes God might want us to do something, and we hear him clearly, but we disobey. In the Bible, Jonah is a good example of that! But even then, God doesn't give up on us, and He keeps redeeming our calling. Of course, if we don’t obey His prompting, out of rebellion or weakness, serious consequences can result. But when we repent and come back to Him, He forgives, and He redeems our calling. David, Gideon, and Peter are great examples of that.

How to Keep Moving Forward

My main point today is that God is not limited just to one pathway for you to express who you are through your calling. Therefore, if you intentionally or accidentally miss what He tells you to be or do, you have not forever missed your calling.

I believe that God indeed called me—at different times in my life—to be a scientific researcher, a college chemistry professor, a pastor, and a Christian life coach. But even if I misunderstood what He called me to do, He kept me in His love and on call for Him. For example, in all of those roles I was a voracious learner, tireless researcher, effective teacher, fruitful minister, and inspiring encourager to hundreds of people. God will always work through who I am, so that I uniquely make a difference through His calling in this world, until He eventually calls me Home.

There are multiple ways to express your unique identity in Christ to be on purpose for Him. Even if you make mistakes—and you will—depend upon God to get you back on track. And even if you rebel against Him—and you will, perhaps in big ways—ask for His forgiveness, ask Him to transform you, keep going, and trust Him to redeem your future for His glory.

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Share

I would love it if you would post your comments, encouragement, questions, etc., below!

Would you also please share this blog on social media or via email using the share buttons at the side or bottom of your screen?

Thank you!