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Archives: January 2010
Confused about calling...
By James Watts
Isn’t “calling” one of those Christian words which the minister waffles on about from the front of church, and as he speaks you nod your head attentively to make it look like you know exactly what your calling in life is? And whilst your body is paying attention, your mind is wandering off – despairing over Liverpool’s title hopes yet again, or wondering what culinary delights you’ll have for Sunday lunch.
But, when you start to investigate your ‘calling’ and think about it properly, you suddenly get worried that God will ‘call’ you to Africa for the rest of your life, and make you leave all your friends and family behind (not to mention that special person you were secretly hoping to make a move on next Saturday). You’re then in a worse state than before, because now every time you hear about Africa on the news you become paranoid and hope that God isn’t trying to tell you something!
So, what is this calling malarkey all about?
Simply put, your calling is who you are. It’s what God made you for. We all have some general callings – evangelism and fighting injustice for example, because the Bible makes that very clear. But each of us also has different specific callings.
If you’re trying to work out yours start by thinking about what else do you get really passionate about? Worshipping God with your guitar? Working with children? If you’re passionate about being a Sunday School teacher one day, and then a week later you find that nothing’s further from your mind, your primary calling probably isn’t working with children. So think about what gets you fired up, what issues you get angry about and want to make a difference in.
Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” - in other words, as we delight ourselves in Him, He will change and mould us to take delight in the things that He wants for us.
It’s unlikely that God will call us to do something which we really hate doing but that doesn’t mean we’ll fearlessly obey what God asks us to do to the letter; it’s very likely that we’ll be scared or worried, because following God’s will isn’t always easy.
Whilst it might be hard or stressful, we need to remember that God’s power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). God has given us gifts, which He is going to use – after all, He created them and gave them to us, and so He knows how they work!
In my life, I’ve always had a passion for teaching, and I’ve realized this in different environments and at different points in my life. Whether it’s been longing to teach my class at school when our teacher was off sick (even though I barely understood the topic myself), showing my younger cousin how to hold a golf club properly, or teaching people the piano to make a bit of extra money, it’s part of me that I can’t shake off.
I love being part of other people’s lives and making a positive difference to them, enabling them to feel more confident in their own ability. More recently this has developed into preaching at the youth service at my home church, and whilst I was incredibly nervous, I relished the thought of teaching and imparting God’s truth to my youth group.
Just because I’ve realized what I’m passionate about, it doesn’t mean that everything will be plain sailing for the rest of my life. Teaching can lead people to all sorts of different paths and, as people say, only God knows what the future will bring. I hold on tight to the fact that God holds my world in His hands, and He has a hope and future for all of us (Jeremiah 29:11).
The most important thing to remember is that when God wants to say something to you, He’ll make it clear, and He’ll enable you to do it, even if it seems impossible. We need to listen to what He’s saying, and be obedient to His call.
I’m not saying we should sit around doing nothing, waiting for God to speak – but as we stick close to Jesus, fall deeper in love with Him and serve Him with our lives, our calling may become clearer. In my case, I feel it’s important that I remember who the greatest teacher is, and then keep going back to Him for guidance and sustenance. The fun part is then seeing how God uses you for His glory – and words can’t describe how amazing that privilege is.
About the author
James is 18 and is one of our ‘Called to Leaders’. He’s originally from Woking in Surrey where he did A Levels in English Literature, Music, Latin and Maths.
Soul Survivor is a Christian charity that puts on events for young people. Our registered charity no. is 1080720. We are also a company limited by guarantee in England & Wales. Our company registered number is 03991111, which is nice. Thanks for caring.
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