What is God calling me to?
Chances are if you are a Christian, you have asked yourself this question…a number of times. At least one of the times would have been influenced by a pastor or a mentor of some sort. Maybe you saw a conflicting bible-based documentary or read the Book of Martyrs and you were asking God as a sort of plea to discover a life dedicated to him but not TOO dedicated. Or maybe you’ve finally hit that place in your life where you’ve tried everything and nothing has worked out for you. I’ve learned that the circumstances leading up to the question don’t matter as much as the level of sincerity upon asking. Do you really want to know what God is calling you to? If so, why? If you don’t like the answer are you going to ignore it and go back to living your “comfortable” (Or maybe not so comfortable) life? Trust me, my friends, these are the questions that you need to ask yourself.
I’ve asked God that question over 100 times in my 22 years on this earth. I got my answer in La Libertad, El Salvador in 2010 right after my first mission trip. I got my answer clarified and received more details about it from God in Lima, Peru in 2012 during my second mission trip. In the three years since Peru all God has done is remind me of the calling He has placed on my life. I have been called to be a missionary. If you look at everything that I’ve done in the past, you most likely wouldn’t come to that conclusion. If you look at me right now – today – while I’m sitting in business casual clothes at a Starbucks typing a blog on my dying laptop, you probably wouldn’t come to that conclusion either. However, if you would take the time to get to know me, it would be as obvious as the Colorado Rocky Mountains’ beauty. I was tailor made to be a missionary – just as you were tailor made to be whatever it is God is calling you to become. This is important to keep in mind. It’s the fact that if we don’t take the time to get to know ourselves and the people around us, we will never know anyone’s strengths (hint: no one will ever know your strengths either).
Do yourself a favor – start a conversation with someone. What’s the point in living if we do it alone and have nothing to show for at the end of the day? No lives touched, no lessons learned, no fears conquered, no changes made – what a terrible way to live. Whether you are an introvert or an extravert or some kind of hybrid mixture it doesn’t matter – reach out in your own way. What matters is the effort you put into it. If you find out that you aren’t good at something, that’s okay! Move on, try another method or try another occupation. Life is beautiful in that we can always start again. No matter what kind of junky situation we get caught up in, with God, there is always a fresh start waiting for you around the corner.
My pastor invited me to join him for the Global Leadership Summit seminar which has turned out to be quite a rewarding experience. It is a chance for a group of wonderful leaders from across the globe to come together and speak to what it takes to be the best leader we can be. One thing that stuck with me is the fact that human potential is the most squandered resource we have. So often people are trained to keep their head down, keep their mouth shut, and work until something is achieved. This is a horrible way to go about anything in life. Instead, let’s lift up our heads, make eye contact with someone, introduce ourselves, share a new idea or even challenge an old one. As one of the speakers, Carly Fiornia, said, “Leadership is about changing the order of things and unlocking the potential of others.” Think about how freeing that is. Being a leader doesn’t mean that you have to have all the answers or the perfect process or the best ideas. Rather, being a leader means you know how to draw on the strengths and talents of those working around you. That removes quite a bit of pressure from the leader’s shoulders and allows more freedom to breathe.
Let’s try a type of living and leading that doesn’t require every ounce of life we have in us. Let’s try leadership through sharing, through contribution, through respect of others’ processes and the difference between what makes me wonderful and what makes you wonderful. Let’s try a type of leadership that allows us to live more and worry less. My pastor spoke to the fact that “everyone is equally gifted” – I can’t explain how true this is. Don’t feel bad because you don’t have the talents that someone else has. Be excited and happy that you have the talents and strengths that YOU have.
I’ll end on another one of Carly Fiornia’s ideas – “What you are is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift to God.” I have to ask you all – what did God give you to work with? Think about it. Now, how are you going to take your gifts and turn them into something that glorifies God? That’s how you find joy in your life. Going through that process is how you find the answer to the question: “what is God calling me to?” Good luck! Keep God at the head of your search and on the top of your list of priorities. He wants to see you succeed. All you have to do is be faithful. God Bless!
