As a counselor and speaker, people ask me all the time, “How did you find your calling in life? Did you always know what God wanted you to do?”
For a long time, I had no idea what God’s purpose for me was, but I remember the day I realized that there was more to my life than the constant frustrations and the daily demands I was spending so much of my time and energy fulfilling.
On that day, I woke up at 5:00 a.m. As I lay in bed for a bit, the nagging question that had been haunting me for months crept in again:
“Is this all there is?”
I was frustrated in my current business but I really didn’t have anything to complain about. I was doing well financially. My family was healthy. Any casual observer would have thought that I was living my dream.
And yet all I could think was, “There must be more than this.” Why? Shouldn’t I just be happy with what I had? Who was I to want more out of life?
On this particular morning, I decided that I would put aside my guilt and boldly go before my Heavenly Father. I asked Him for more and told Him I needed direction.
In that prayerful moment, God revealed to me His desire for me to go back to school. That prompting led me to pray more intently about what God wanted me to do with this higher education. As the weeks unfolded, my purpose became more and more clear. Even though I couldn’t always see the full path ahead, for the first time in my life, I felt like I was headed toward my calling.
Since that quiet moment in my bed, God has continued to transform my destiny.
Before you say, “Good for you, Kris, but it won’t happen that way for me,” I want to remind you that I’m no one special. If He did it for me, He can do it for you.
My only caution for you is to stop believing that God will only reveal your purpose in one particular way.
In fact, there are several ways you can find your God-given calling, as we are shown in the Bible.
An encounter.
Moses had a sense of his purpose while living in Pharaoh’s palace. But when things didn’t go as imagined, he ran. But God wasn’t finished with Moses. In his famous ‘burning bush’ moment, Moses encountered God and heard loud and clear the instructions for his purpose. (Exodus 3)
When you have your encounter like Moses, don’t deliberate, vacillate, or even contemplate what God is saying to you. Instead, activate your faith and step forward. He will direct your steps
An impartation.
Timothy was the apostle Paul’s protégé and traveled with him on several missionary journeys. Timothy’s call to purpose came through the imparting of spiritual gifts. We read of his call in Paul’s first letter to him: “Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the leadership” (1 Timothy 4:14).
It’s not always easy being under certain leadership but they may be the very people to propel you into your purpose.
Prayer and study.
After Moses died, God called Joshua to lead the people of Israel into the promised land. Joshua was concerned he would not be able to follow in Moses’ footsteps, but God commanded him to be strong and courageous and follow the law—in doing so, he would prosper (Joshua 1:7).
You will have people who go before you, but God isn’t calling you to ‘be’ them. Finding your calling in life begins with following God’s word and remaining prayerful.
Divine orchestration.
From a young age, Joseph believed that God destined him for greatness. Joseph received a dream from the Lord only to have his entire world fall apart. Joseph’s brothers were so jealous of him that they cooked up a wicked plan to kill him. Instead they sold him into slavery where he spent years serving under Potiphar. But even in the midst of his oppressive circumstance, Joseph found favor with God and through that ordeal, his calling was fulfilled.
What the enemy means for harm, God will use for your good. God knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). Will you trust him to divinely orchestrate your life?
If unfulfilled dreams have left you feeling disheartened and discontent, you can trade those feelings for a positive plan to discover you and God in your journey. That’s what my new book Make it Matter: A Roadmap to Living a Life of Purpose is all about. You can order your copy here and receive the free printable worksheets along with other free resources to help you live out your calling in Christ. (and it’s now available on Audible)
Want more? Answer the cry for purpose with the determination to discover. Join us for our FREE 5-Day Created With Purpose Devotional.
