Three Keys to Embracing Your Calling with God

Paper, pencils, markers, ruler, tape, scissors, JC Penny catalogs and other magazines were spread across the living room floor.

Plans for future homes and farms which would be side by side were in the making. My friend and I spent hours sketching every detail of our dream homes, horse barns, dog kennels, and more. Everything was meticulously labeled, papers were taped together to make a “blue-print” of our grand designs. Next, we poured over magazines and catalogs to choose furnishings and décor for our homes.

As a little girl, I was creative, care-free, and a fanciful dreamer. I would spend hour upon hour dreaming about what my life would look like when I grew up. That was long before boys, serving God, or the reality and pressures of the real world came crashing in.

Feeling Pressure

The age-old question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” wasn’t really asked in a serious way until I was older, but the question began when I was a young child. My answer then was simple: “A wife, mother, and a writer.” As I grew older, I had the perception more was expected of me.

I spent a great deal of my life trying to figure out what my “calling” was, let alone trying to figure out how to walk with God through it all. The pressures and demands (actual and perceived) caused me to wander from thing to thing. I became filled with doubt and uncertainty.  The pressure only began to ease when I realized God had the answers I was looking for. Letting go of control, I began to trust God, His Word and follow His path.

Three Keys to Walk with God in your Calling

It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.

Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up,

he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living,

part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone

(Ephesians 1:11-12 The Message).

These verses contain three keys to walking with God in your calling.

Key #1: Identity & Relationship

You discover your identity and calling through your relationship with Jesus Christ.

…It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.

Have you heard the phrase: “Know who you are and whose you are?”

It’s important that we understand we are God’s beloved children. We have been adopted (grafted) into His family and He is now our Father. (Romans 8; John 15). Meaning we get all the rights and benefits that come with being God’s children.

To discover these benefits, we turn to the Bible. Throughout the pages of Scripture, God has spoken promise after promise to His children, which are for us today. In order to fully grasp these promises and to begin walking in them, we need to be in relationship with Jesus Christ, and allow His Holy Spirit to teach, guide and direct us.

Key #2: Trust God

Our calling is revealed to us through relationship with Christ, but we also need to trust that God has a plan for us. Scripture tells us that God was thinking of us long before we ever thought about Him. His plan for our life is to give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). We may choose our career, our spouse, our hobbies, and other parts of our life, but God created us with a unique purpose and calling in mind.

Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us…

Of course, we have free will and God allows us to make our own decisions and choices, many of which have led us right to where we are now. However, long before we even thought about God or making a choice to follow after Him, He deposited a greater Kingdom purpose within us. This greater Kingdom calling is what gives us greater joy and fulfillment in our life.

Key #3: It’s Bigger than Me

Our life calling fits into a larger, grander plan designed by God for eternity.

You see, our calling, the thing that makes our heart sing will bring about glorious living. It will bring us the greatest enjoyment and fulfillment in life and can only come about as we first focus on building authentic relationship with God. Out of the overflow of that relationship, He will guide and direct us toward the path and purpose for which we were created.

…He had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.

As we allow God to guide us, mold us, and develop our skills and abilities for our calling, we must remember God’s plans are always bigger than just us. We need to be prepared to serve and love others as part of our walk with Him. Jesus modeled this in His own earthly ministry.