Chapter 2. What is my calling? Several years ago I was speaking to a group of cheerleaders at a local Christian high school. They were celebrating the nearing end of the school year with brunch and anticipating sleeping in during the summer months. They just had to get through two more days of final exams and they'd be home free Over our cinnamon rolls and breakfast casserole. I asked I'm curious, what do you feel your calling is, crickets? Inside I panicked a little because it seemed like my question didn't land particularly well. But outside I smiled wider and said surely someone here has something they want to do in the future. One young woman spoke up. Her glazed eyes indicated she'd been up late studying and felt stressed. Honestly, right now I just want to pass my chemistry final. Multiple heads nodded in agreement. Fair enough, even though questions about what you want to do after high school seem to come before you even start high school.
Speaker 1:
It can be hard to see past the next pressing moment. Exams, athletic games, theater, productions and more are always coming one right after the other and it's difficult to think beyond each new thing. But what exactly is a calling? How do we know what ours is and how does that fit into the zillions of other things we have to do each day. The Bible doesn't provide a definition for calling or purpose, but considering the Ten Commandments and what we learn from Jesus, I believe a calling centers around using our God-given talents and gifts to glorify God and to love and serve others. Let's explore some of the ways God may be asking us to use our bodies to love and serve others. Micro-callings Little daily callings moments and opportunities to love and serve others. Let's revisit that chemistry exam. Pretend this young woman had hopes of becoming a nurse. She needs to do well in her high school science classes to impress college admissions counselors. Doing well on this chemistry exam is a micro calling. Health-wise, she needs to get enough sleep and eat foods that give her mental clarity to get a good grade. Other micro-callings might be reaching out to a friend just to let her know you're thinking of her. Playing our best in an important soccer match, inviting a friend to youth group, tutoring a classmate who is struggling.
Speaker 1:
Creative callings Using the intricacies of how God made you to bless others and fill your own soul. Do you doodle, paint, write, bake and decorate unique cookies? Make encouraging reels, capture beauty behind the lens of a camera? If so, you're using the creativity God gave you and I bet those gifts are blessing others. Don't discount your gifts. Creative work of any type fills our souls when we see or experience it. When you create, you're giving others a glimpse of God's glory. We certainly can't discount how sacred creativity is to God. If you doubt it, step outside and watch the sunrise or sunset, take notice of the colorful butterflies, birds or plants. Peek outside an airplane window, or look up a gorgeous photograph of a 30,000-foot view and observe the landscape. God's creative hand is evident in all of nature, just waiting to bless us. Look for inventive ways to bless others, to experience this calling Service callings, serving others with our time, care or presence.
Speaker 1:
In other words, these callings are about being a friend to someone who needs some support. Sometimes God asks us to help fulfill someone else's calling. My friends support me by texting me words of encouragement. I helped my neighbor who was out of town by checking on her house and watering her plants. When my son's friends show up at their basketball games or track meets, it's incredibly meaningful to them and to me. How can you serve others? Look around at neighbors, friends and classmates. See if there's an opportunity, big or small, to help someone out Seasonal callings, a calling for a period of time.
Speaker 1:
Sometimes God wants us to focus on something for a period of time and then he pivots us to something else. It may be a clear path or it may feel like a blindfolded pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey step of faith. When we walk with God, we never know where he will take us or how long we will be there. I like to say I'm in phase three of my adult life. Right after I graduated college, I joined the corporate world and used my finance degree. When my husband and I started a family, we both decided that I would stay home with our boys. After several years I felt God calling me into writing and speaking about his health, versus the world's view of health. So far I've had three seasonal callings. I will probably have more in the future. I don't know what those are, but I do know that I trust God when he asks me to do something different, even when it's scary or uncomfortable. You may or may not be able to point to seasonal callings in your life right now, but you'll probably be able to look back later and identify what falls into this category. This is also a good reminder that it's okay if things change. It may be a seasonal calling. Stay connected with God and he will guide you in the next steps.
Speaker 1:
Macro callings, larger scale plans, macro callings are what we often think of when we hear the word calling or purpose. If you've read the biblical book of Exodus, you may remember reading about how Moses grew from a shepherd tending to his flock to a prophet convincing Pharaoh to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Moses only did this because God spoke to him through a bush that was on fire but not burning down to ashes. Talk about a macro calling. Maybe God won't appear to you through a flaming bush, but have you ever gotten that fire in your heart that you are meant to do something big? Lead a small group at your house, babysit regularly for a struggling family. Start a student organization at your school. Write a book. Has your heart ever burned for an issue or a cause? What keeps you up at night? If you can't identify a macro calling right now, don't worry. I bet right now God has you focusing on the other types of callings we've already talked about, but keep your heart open and your eyes on the horizon for any large-scale callings he may be preparing for you.
Speaker 1:
Despite what you've heard, your body is not here to look a certain way. More on this in the next chapter. Our bodies are given to us to glorify God, love and serve others and fulfill the many types of callings God gives us. Our bodies should honor God and his desires for us in all we do, or we should at least try. Lord knows, I don't live up to it all the time. As for our callings, they can change. Some are big and some are small, some are long-term and some are short-term, and sometimes we think our calling is one thing, but it turns out to be something different than we anticipated. All of these are normal, but one thing they all have in common our bodies need to be prepared for whatever God has for us.