What Is My Calling, Lord?

Our “calling” is the function Christ has for us as part of His Body, the church. Once we give our lives to Christ, each of us becomes a vital organ within the Body of Christ with functions and responsibilities determined by God. When each member of His Body functions as God intends, the body becomes the spotless bride the Father has purposed for His Son.

The drive to discover our call has many pitfalls.  First, our knowledge of good and evil elevates certain calls over others leading many to choose full-time evangelism or pastoral work in an effort to choose the “best.” Second, the use of “gift tests” assumes that personality traits are of use.  A third pitfall is the assumption that our call must be known by name for us to function in it.  In truth, all three pitfalls are driven by our knowledge of good and evil resulting in disability and suffering within the Body of Christ.

True callings are often not what we would think.  Paradoxically, the Lord may use our weaknesses which is confusing and may cause us to resist or rebel and what we have been told is our gift may not be used at all. Sometimes, our weaknesses will become essential to our calling.  Look at Moses and others and see that what they were asked to do disregarded their weaknesses.  Christ asks us to throw away our self-confidence and rely only on His empowering.  In fact, powerful callings require a death process to natural giftedness.

Young adults can feel great pressure to figure out their Christian calling.  While their peers are choosing career paths, they can find themselves thinking that real world jobs are not as important as jobs in the ministry.  Any nagging doubts are silenced by the assumption that something as good as full-time ministry cannot be bad. This is typical of the voice of the knowledge of good and evil. It is always reasoning about what looks good, and the Holy Spirit is hushed and quenched. If a young person is brave enough to voice these doubts to their parents or pastor they will often receive counsel that is also based on the knowledge of good and evil.  Only later, after years in Bible school and then ministry does depression or an impure lifestyle reveal the essential problem.

Being the parent or pastor to a young adult who is considering full-time ministry may appear the goal, but if we knew that this choice may lead to death, I believe we could give healthier counsel.

How to Counsel Young People About Their Calling:

Giving healthy counsel to young adults who think they know their calling involves asking probing, Spirit-led questions.  The heart must be searched and only the Holy Spirit can do this well.

Some examples of probing questions:

“What started you seeking the Lord about the call He has on your life?”

“What has the Lord told you?”

“How was that confirmed?”

“How would your flesh be fed by this calling?”

“How would this calling please those you love or want to please?”

“When you feel a call to pray for something, what sort of prayers do you pray?”

“When you study the Word, what scriptures jump out at you?”

“What would this calling allow you to hide from?”

“What sins do you have ongoing struggles with?”

“When you imagine yourself functioning in this calling, what are those around you saying about you?”

“What was your emotional state when you decided on this calling?”

Jesus stands as the Tree of Life in the midst of the garden of our lives. When young adults focus on Him as the Head, when they eat of Him, their place in His body will issue forth naturally.  They do not have to pester Him for a job description. He has already determined their calling. There is no need to worry or be concerned. In the end, it is the Tree of Life that must shine through the yielded vessel.