Have you ever felt like God "called" you to do something particular with your life? You know, like a man is called to be a pastor or in my case I felt "called" to be doctor. No, God didn't dial down from Heaven and verbally tell me to be a doctor, but through a course of years of prayer, questioning, and discernment I jumped on board with what I felt God told me was the calling of my life. I didn't understand why He chose me and I had no idea how I would get there or what my life would eventually look like, but I began to pursue this calling. There have been trials along the way, especially lately, that have made me question my life's purpose. I have been discouraged that I'm not fulfilling God's desire for my life and feel like I'm wasting time not reaching people like I am supposed. It really got me thinking the last few days what it means when a Christian says he/she is called.
I absolutely believe that God puts desires and directions in our hearts that are unique for each person, but I've been wondering the past few days if we make too big a deal out of our "calling." Is this an American Christian practice, or have Christians always felt like there was one job they were meant to do their entire lives and anything less is a waste? I don't have an answer to that yet, but I do plan to research it. I just notice so many of us, myself included, complain we aren't fulfilling our calling. "We aren't doing anything that's Kingdom worthy." "We aren't fulfilled by our work." "We are just DONE with these stupid jobs." We aren't paid enough, appreciated enough, leading people to Christ everyday, impacting the World every day so apparently what we are doing isn't important. It's our attitude we carry daily into work, which I believe trickles down into our personal relationships, our physical well being, and relationship with the Lord. If we aren't doing that one thing, then by golly our life is meaningless!
It's been on my heart that this is false. I don't think 100% of our life is spent feeling fulfilled and rewarded, because there are detours along the way. Maybe you questioned your abilities to perform the job at hand, so you end up at some other job that you aren't good at and you're miserable. You realize your mistake, but God takes the time in that job to teach you trust and patience. Maybe God allowed the Devil to try to separate you from Him, by taking you from your dream career like he did Job. You are stuck working at a job you hate or maybe you no longer have work. You feel like a failure, but God is using this time to strengthen your belief in Him and truly teach you what it means to praise Him in the storm. Maybe you just don't have a clear picture of what you are supposed to do, and it feels like everyone else around you is succeeding and changing the world and you're left in their dust. You are discouraged that your time will never come, but God is teaching you perseverance and how to seek Him. Maybe, just maybe, God has called you to an unglamorous profession where you are undervalued, taken advantage of, overworked, under- payed, and mentally exhausted. It's EXACTLY what He's called you to do, but you just want another door to open. Only, you don't know how good you have it. Your bills are paid and your family is cared for, but you just want to feel appreciated for what you do.
The thing is, no matter your situation, God has a purpose. It doesn't mean our spiritual calling is full of adventure and glamour. We all can't be missionaries to foreign lands or visionaries to save orphans and the oppressed. We aren't all going to be preachers or gifted at personally leading many to Christ. Maybe you are the seed sower who is effecting the people around you and you will NEVER even know it. Your time in a what seems menial job is refining your relationships with God, and your spirit of hard work, encouragement, and faith are a testament to your co-workers in ways they may never tell you. They know there is something different about you, and God is using your placement to change just one person. Isn't that alone worth the trials of the job?
According to Genesis 3:17 "...The ground is cursed because of you. You will eat from it by means of painful labor all the days of your life..." It seems we in America forget that work will be hard and not always make us feel like warm and fuzzy inside. I forget this over and over again. Instead of being thankful for work, I'm instead complaining about my job for various reasons. All of this reminded me of what we are all 'called' to do: "And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27. Therefore, no matter our job we can fulfill the most important calling: We can love God and we can love others. It's that simple.
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