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What is my purpose in life? What’s my calling? I feel like we all put so much pressure on ourselves to figure this question out, whether we call ourselves Christians or not.  So let’s take some pressure off.  Sound good?

3 Misconceptions About Calling

When we process the question, “what is God’s calling for my life?” or “what is my purpose?” most of us are thinking, “what job does God want me to have?” or “what things does God want to accomplish through my life?”  Those are great questions.  The fact that you’d ask things like that shows that you care about pleasing God with your life and you’re thinking about how you can have impact outside of just your own life and your own bubble.

Occupation and accomplishments can be a key part of calling, but God’s definition of calling is so much bigger than we often realize.

And God chose me to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of this Good News. (2 Timothy 1:11)

• Calling isn’t just one specific job you’re supposed to have.

Calling isn’t just a list of life accomplishments or career milestones to check off a list before you die.

Calling is the combination of the gifts, passions and sense of life mission God has given you to steward for His glory, the service of others, and your enjoyment over the course of your life.  Calling is God’s role of service for you to play in the work of His Kingdom. Christian music artist Tauren Wells explains it so well in this video as he talks about the difference between identity, calling and assignment.

Sometimes your calling and your job will match and sometimes they won’t.  Calling is mostly about the over-arching theme of God’s assignment for your life, not mostly about the role you play as you fulfill it.  That’s good news because while almost every human being’s greatest dream is to get paid to do what you love, even in situations when that isn’t the case in our lives, we can still fulfill God’s calling for us.

For me, I know my calling is worship, prayer and proclamation of God’s Word.  That has looked a bunch of different ways over the years.  Some roles I’ve held have been more formal and on a platform in front of people and some have been more organic and behind-the-scenes.  At times it’s been my job to do things like pray, lead worship and disciple people.  At other times it has not been my job but rather a volunteer role or something I did in my free time.  No matter what stage of life I’ve been in or what my job was, God has always allowed that assignment to guide my life and opened doors for me to serve Him and others through worship, prayer and proclamation in some capacity.

God absolutely does call us to specific roles and assignments, specific places, or specific decisions at certain times. (Acts 16:6-10) I moved my whole life from New York to Kansas City because I had several experiences with God in which He made it clear that He was calling me to live and do ministry here.  He absolutely does give us glimpses into how He might want to use us in the future.  I’ve had some of those too.

But it’s important to know that while the essence (the theme or mission) of what your calling is will remain the same, the outward expression of that calling can and likely will change throughout the seasons of your life.  And that’s okay because living out God’s calling for your life is a journey not a destination. Calling is a series of ways we will glorify God, build His Kingdom and serve others over the course of our lives. 

God has different roles of service and different assignments for you to fulfill in each season of life, and they are all part of His calling for your life, not just the perceived end goal.  The job title, expression, context, role, pace etc. will change throughout your life but the gifting, passion, mission/vision will stay the same.

(More on this in the Bible: Romans 12:6-8 // 1 Peter 4:10-11 // Acts 19:21 // Acts 20:22 // Romans 15:20 // Ephesians 1:1; 3:7-9 // Galatians 1:15-16 // 2 Timothy 1:11)

• Your calling is not something you fulfill “one day.”  You can walk in your calling right now. 

When you think of calling as “I have to strive for this job title and then someday, ten years from now I’ll finally be walking in my calling” then you don’t realize that God has purpose for you to fulfill right where you are – with your current life situation and the people around you right now.

It’s okay to aspire to certain things, even things we feel have been placed in our hearts by God, but our specific goals and aspirations are just one aspect of God’s calling for us.

If you want to walk in God’s calling for your life, use the gifts, passions and life assignments God has given you however you can where God has you placed right now.  Take time and ask God about what those things are for you and how to start acting on them.

I’ve learned that walking in your calling is really just a journey of asking God this question in every season of life and obeying what He sets in front of you until He directs you to the next step in the journey. Again, all of those steps are part of your calling not just the step when you arrive at “the goal.”  They’re not stepping stones to something greater or what you really want to do.  They are equally valid, God-orchestrated parts of living out His purpose for your life.

I’ll give you one example from my own calling.  Since I was a kid, I’ve aspired to be a shepherd and teacher of God’s people.  I’d love to lead my own ministry, or serve on a teaching team at a church, or travel and teach the Bible one day.  In high school, I was a leader and taught the Word regularly as part of my youth group. In college, I taught at our weekly campus ministry meetings and led small groups. Now, I work in college ministry and I get to disciple students one-on-one and in groups and train them in practical ministry skills.  I also have this blog that I run, which I pray helps people understand and live God’s Word better.

I don’t have an “official” ministry organization of my own yet and I’m not on teaching team staff at a church, but I’ve been walking in God’s calling for me to teach His Word and help people grow spiritually since He first put it in my heart as a teenager and opened those doors for me.  I don’t have to wait until my job title or role of service changes to match my future aspirations better.  I’m fulfilling God’s calling for my life right now.

The same is true for you and your journey.  When you partner with God however He allows you to in the season in front of you, you’re walking in His purpose for your life and He is making impact through you.

As you dream with God for the future (which is totally okay!), resist the temptation to miss the assignment God has for you in the current season because you’re only thinking about the one He has for you in the future.

• Your calling doesn’t have to be “ministry related” in order to be used by God.

God has a purpose for all of His kids, not just the ones who work in ministry.  In a sense, every calling is ministry related because every one of us as believers is called by God to make Jesus known, help people grow their faith in Him and to serve the needs of others.  In whatever capacity we do it, it’s all the work of God’s Kingdom because He works through us to build His Kingdom and to keep the world He created functioning and flourishing. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

God’s calling for your life may be to help bring hope and healing to people.  You may express that by creating art, by being a counselor, by serving in the medical field, or even…by simply being a good friend to people who listens and encourages others well.  (Yes, that qualifies as a calling.  Remember, calling is less about occupation and job title and more about the mission that shapes the way we serve God and people in life.)

Your calling may be something different, but whatever you do God has people He will connect you with and opportunities He will open up for you to somehow make Him known to people, make disciples, and serve the needs of people as you do it.

How To Trust God With Your Calling

One of the hardest things when it comes to calling is trusting God’s timing and plan, especially when there are specific goals you aspire to or things you feel God has impressed on your heart that He wants to do through your life. I’m in that situation and I struggle with this all the time – like daily. 😉

Just recently God opened up Proverbs 3:5-6 to me in a way I’ve never thought about before.

This passage lays out some wise life advice, but they can also be steps that can help us trust God with His calling for our lives.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

1. Don’t trust in your own understanding.

Don’t rely on your own idea of the path, the timing, and what it will look like.

2. Trust in the Lord.

Trust His good intentions, His idea of the path, the timing, and what it will look like.

3. Seek out and do His will faithfully in the season you’re in.

Follow God’s instructions for all believers as outlined in the Bible, as well as faithfully stewarding the responsibilities in your life and doing whatever assignment related to your calling you can in your current circumstances.

4. Let Him direct your steps/show you which path to take in His timing.

Let Him prompt you or open the doors and opportunities that direct you to take the next step or shift gears.  Don’t try to force the doors open yourself.

God has been both challenging and encouraging me with this lately because it’s so hard for me.  I’m a dreamer.  There’s so much I want to do to serve God and people, and my biggest fear is that my dreams won’t come true.

I constantly have to try to resist the inclination to make things happen in my way and my time and the way I think it’s supposed to happen.  Over and over again, God shows me that if just keep doing the next right thing and wait on His timing He always gets me to where I need to be.  He’ll do the same for you.

The Lord will work out His plans for my life—for Your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. (Psalm 138:8)

Check these out too:

6 Lies You Need To Stop Believing About Your Calling  – Kenneth Reid (RELEVANT Magazine)

Message on calling at Angelus Temple – Madeline Carroll (from the film I Can Only Imagine)

Let’s Talk: Based on your journey with God so far, what do you believe your calling to be?  Are there things you’ve learned about how to trust God with your calling? Discuss this post in the comments below.

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