Challenge 44. Blog 28

When Christian Calling Stalls

God has changed my calling role several times in my life. But each time that happened, it felt like my calling had stalled. I even wondered whether I really had a calling at all. Perhaps what I thought was my calling really was just an impossible pipe dream.

For example, ten years into teaching chemistry at the college level, I wanted out. I still enjoyed providing foundational scientific training for future doctors and researchers. But even more, I loved being a part of what God was doing at our church. He transformed people’s lives, sometimes miraculously, through multiple teams of like-minded, hard-working servants.

It was heady stuff! One of my favorite ministries was helping to lead Encounter Retreats, where God delivered people from decades-old bondage to sins, hurts, and addictions. He also healed people’s physical infirmities, including a woman’s cancer and a man’s lame leg. He delivered me from habitual lying, and He sowed the seed for my future Christian calling role.

But regarding ministry, I felt like I was on the outside looking in. Other people transitioned from their current careers to more personally fulfilling ones. But I saw no way to do that myself. I had climbed the ladder of academia, becoming chair of the Chemistry Department at my college. How could I even consider taking a huge pay cut and starting all over again in a new church career? And besides that, no one had ever hinted that I might be cut out for that sort of thing.

God Gave You This Calling

Does my story remind you in some way of your situation, longings, wonderings, and doubts in your own calling?

After I encourage you with biblical teaching, and after I tell you the rest of my story, I pray that you’ll gain more hope and faith for this deep calling that God has put in your heart.

Christian calling often begins as a deep longing to do something that brings people closer to God or accomplishes His purposes in the world. It will be a uniquely personal and meaningful expression of who you are. It does not have to be a church vocation or even a paid position—in fact, most Christian callings are not that.

For example, when Nehemiah, in exile in Babylon, heard that the Israelites in Jerusalem were in great distress and reproach, with no city walls to protect them, he cried out in anguish:

• When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. (Nehemiah 1:4)

God will confirm your Christian calling as you pray and take the first steps toward your calling. God will bless your work, opening doors and making it succeed according to His timetable. You’ll make mistakes, but you’ll see Kingdom results. Often, other Christians will confirm your calling—and you’ll feel great joy—as you take the first steps toward it.

After Nehemiah fasted and prayed and pursued His God-given passion for rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, God granted him unprecedented favor with the Babylonian king, who not only gave him permission to go to Jerusalem but also granted Nehemiah’s request for a letter of safe passage and timber to rebuild the city gates:

• Nehemiah said, “And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me.” (Nehemiah 2:8)

If you have a deep longing to do something that would bring people closer to God or accomplish His purposes in the world, God might indeed be calling you to do that! Pray—and even fast, if you feel so led—and then take the first step that you have in your heart to take, as Nehemiah did. .

God Will Accomplish Your Calling

Have you ever noticed that Luke, the author of the book of Acts, takes only 16 verses to describe the apostle Paul’s first 14 years of ministry, and then takes 16 chapters to describe the 10 years of Paul’s missionary journeys?

The greatest heroes of the Bible had to wait for the fulfillment of their calling.

David had to wait 15 years after Samuel first anointed him king, until he was officially anointed king of Judah. Then he waited another 5 years—a total of 20 years—until he was anointed king over the entire nation of Israel.

By the way, have you ever considered how long Jesus—our Lord and Savior—waited to begin the ministry His heavenly Father sent Him to do on this earth?

• After Jesus’ birth and dedication as an infant, the Bible says He “continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.” (Luke 2:40)
• We get a briefly intriguing snapshot of Jesus at age 12 in the Temple, “sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.” (Luke 2:46)
• Then the Bible says nothing about Jesus until, at age 33, John baptized Him and He began His earthly ministry.

Even Jesus—our heavenly Father’s only begotten Son who is our Lord and Savior—didn’t even begin the most significant part of His earthly ministry until He was baptized at age 33!

Jesus understands having to wait for your calling!

I had to wait for my calling too. For three years, I increasingly longed to leave college teaching behind and do something more in line with my passions.

And then, one day, an associate pastor casually asked me, “Have you ever considered Christian vocational ministry?”

Zing!

Could it be possible? That would be a dream come true! My associate pastor’s belief in me sparked my hope that it could actually happen.

A few days later, on Palm Sunday, God clearly called me to do just that. The calling came primarily as a deep longing to do more of what He was already doing through me—reaching people for salvation, transforming lives, and multiplying disciples for Him.

The problem? I still had absolutely no idea how that could ever happen financially.

Nevertheless, I talked with our lead pastor about what I sensed from God, trembling and weeping like a blubbering idiot—but with fervent desire that he recognized and affirmed as God’s calling.

For three years, my lead pastor mentored me along with several others.

Did you catch that? For three years.

Yes, only after another three seemingly interminable years—after a series of providential financial windfalls—did I go on staff at that church as a discipleship and leadership pastor.

God Is Preparing You

How wonderful it would be if, when God gives us these heart-felt longing for our calling, He would immediately launch us into those callings!

That rarely happens.

Here’s why.

Think about it. God calls us to do things we cannot do on our own. We must grow into our new calling role. We must discern His leading. We must go forward when we can see only the first tiny steps forward, trusting Him to continue to guide us. We must learn totally new skills. We must gain practice in those skills. We must allow God to strengthen our character and patience.

All of that doesn’t happen overnight.

Abraham’s son, Joseph, spent 13 years in slavery before God prompted Pharaoh to make him second in command over Egypt. Another 9 years passed before God worked through him to save his family—the ancestors of Jesus—from famine and death.

During Joseph’s years of obscurity, he became a man of integrity, even when it cost him—when he rejected Potiphar’s wife’s sexual advances and landed in jail after she falsely accused him of attacking her. He grew in wisdom about God, eventually interpreting Pharaoh’s prophetic dreams of famine, thereby prompting Egypt to warehouse food and save millions of lives. He eventually even forgave his brothers for selling him into slavery, praising God’s good hand in his own tragic story:

• To his brothers, Joseph said, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” (Genesis 50:20)

It seems paradoxical, but often, the older you are and the longer you have been following Christ, the longer it takes to move into the next role of Christian calling—because the older you get, and the longer you follow Christ, the more specialized your calling becomes, and the more impactful your calling role grows.

My most recent transition of calling role—from pastor to experienced life coach and now to budding writer—has taken 9 years—so far! During that time, God transformed my trust in him, my confidence in myself, and my Kingdom priorities. I can’t wait to see what’s next!

How to Restart Your Christian Calling

If God has put in your heart a deep longing to do something specific for Him, but it’s not happening yet—and you’re not even sure God has called you to do it—take heart. You’re normal! This is the way God calls and prepares His people for their future calling roles in His Kingdom.

Before I list some steps below for restarting your Christian calling, we must of course acknowledge that God will do the restarting—not you, and certainly not I.

However, during a stalled Christian calling, God often does focus on certain foundational purposes before restarting Christian calling. Those purposes are what the steps below address:

1. Grow your emotional health.

In a previous blog, I shared that being emotionally unhealthy hinders Christian calling more than any other single thing. And even if your emotional health is already good, all of us move forward in Christian calling as we become even more emotionally free, joyful, connected, and confident. 

Click here to read this blog and find out how to get emotionally healthy for your calling.

2. Grow your uniquely personal relationship with Jesus.

God always wants to grow our relationship with Him during the confusing times of waiting for our next calling role to begin.

The best resource I have found for doing that is Tony Stoltzfus’ book, Questions for Jesus. Click here to see it at Amazon.

3. Take the one right next step.

If one next step keeps coming to mind for your calling—seemingly at odd times, and it won’t go away—that might indeed be God’s prompting. If you think He might want you to do something—even if it seems small, and even if it doesn’t yet make sense—do it! Then after you do that, take the one next right step again, and keep doing that. Clarity will increase as you keep moving forward in this way.

Click here to read a blog about following up on those “little promptings” from God.

Or click here for a blog about “just do the next right thing.”

4. Learn how to stay positive and keep dreaming over the long haul.

Christian calling is fulfilling, but it is also at times mundane, arduous, and downright maddening. Develop some lifelong strategies for staying encouraged and focused on God.

Do things that keep you inspired, i.e. go to conferences that rev you up, take free or paid online courses, read inspiring books, and hang around fun people.

Journal about your conversations with God—it will help you stay focused as you talk with God, and you'll have a record of your growth and answered prayers. If you're concerned about privacy, type your journal in a Word document on your computer and password-protect it. Click here to learn how to do that.

Don’t allow lack of progress and obstacles kill your dream. Talk about your dream with God and with people you trust.

Keep going! Don’t give up! Be encouraged, because God is preparing you for great things in the future!

• I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.” (Psalm 57:2)
• For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)

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