All great leaders say they answered the "call," but what does that mean to the rest of us? Is that call an audible voice? Is it something you just know from the start? What about those of us who can't figure out our calling? Is it that no one is calling, or is it that we aren’t listening?
Who is calling us? For what purpose? These questions beg for answers.
First, what do we mean by the word "call" or "calling"? On this subject, I highly recommend Os Guinness's modern classic, The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life. Guinness posits that the Caller is God Himself. Hence, what Guinness refers to as the primary call is God’s invitation to respond to salvation and then to remain committed to the Gospel. Put differently, God's call is, first and foremost, for one to become a child of God (or a Christian) and then mature as a child of God (Christian living that involves abiding by God's word, and living out the teachings of Jesus). 1 And, as Christians live in this world, it naturally follows that one needs to consider what he/she ought to do for a living. This is what Guinness refers to as "vocational calling" or secondary call.
What are we called to do in terms of work, job, or career? At least for Christians, the vocational calling must be an extension of the primary call. Any work or job or career that undermines or diminishes or “un-do” the primary call, by logic, cannot be part of God's call. 2 Yet, that still leaves the door wide open for those who want to know their vocational calling or long-term goals. There are some vocations that are entirely easy to justify as "Christian" (full-time ministry, missions work, serving in Christian schools, etc.) but there are lots of gray areas as well.
I’ve learned that applying the following is helpful in determining one’s vocational calling:
What are your strengths? What are you naturally good at? Here, we are referring to an innate or God-given talent. It's something that you are naturally good at, able to learn quickly, and rapidly achieve mastery.
What are you passionate about? What gets you excited or motivated? What do you care about?
What bothers you about the world? What problems do you want to solve? Who do you want to help? 3
What vocational or career advice have you received from those who speak into your life? What do your parents, teachers, mentors, and spiritual leaders recommend that you do for a living?
If you apply these four criterion to yourself, you should be able to sense a direction towards certain fields or careers. Of course, the search in no way should be completed without praying to God, reading the Word, and seeking His wisdom and guidance. It’s important to note that God’s vocational calling is rarely based on random dreams or accidental encounters. 4
One additional item to consider is that careers or vocations need not be confined to a specific job title or position or location. I like the analogy of driving on the freeway: as long as we are driving toward the correct destination, I believe God allows us to drive on any of the lanes. The lanes represent different careers or vocations. So, let's be careful not to seek an exact job title, or an exact professional program, or an exact company, or an exact location. Finer details are less important than the big picture and, depending on different stages of life, we may find ourselves transitioning from one company to another, possibly moving from one state to another, or even changing careers. Hence, rather than getting stuck on the specifics, we would benefit by seeing the big picture--the one which God sees.
Are you heeding the call? Or, are you imposing your will and asserting your desire over God’s call for your life? I pray that you do not ignore God’s call. Let your response be “Yes,” and “Amen” to His invitation. Don’t be afraid of His beckoning. 5 God has wonderful plans for you. His plans are more creative and grand than you can ever imagine. Give heed to His call, and you won’t be disappointed.
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1 God calls everyone, but only those who follow Jesus are the ones who answer the call. There are those who do not heed that call (i.e., atheists), those who claim they cannot tell who the caller is (i.e., agnostics), or those who swear that they heard the call from another “god.”
2 For example, would God call a Christian to engage in child sex trafficking? Would He call someone to devote her life in various forms of vice in His name? Of course not. So, any kind of work or job that which cannot be an extension of the primary call necessarily cannot be the secondary call.
3 “The tragedy of modern man is not that he knows less and less about the meaning of his own life, but that it bothers him less and less. . .” (Os Guinness)
4 God can work through dreams or visions, of course. But, such are the exceptions not the norm. Dreams and visions can also be confirmations, but it is dangerous to treat them as the only or primary means of communication from God.
5 Do not falsely assume that God’s calling is to automatically send you off as a missionary or to force you into a full-time ministry. Of course, God can call you into full-time ministry, but that seems to scare people off from even seeking God’s will for their life.