Finding My Calling

I see a lot of people in life trying to figure out what their calling is. What they were meant to do here on earth. What their purpose is. If they even have one. 

If you are TRULY with Christ, then you have laid down all the old things, and are starting to put on the new things. It can be a very hard time in life. Everything you have believed, thought, ever told yourself, come to know, all of it is gone now. Losing all of that can be hard. Humans seem to have to have an identity and we tend to put it into those types of things. What do we do when we lose our identity???

Well, we have to search for a new one. As you might have heard a few times before, we have to find our calling. 

CALLING-What is that even? We are so worried about finding our calling in life, but do we really know what it means. 

Looked it up online and this is the definition I found...

A calling is a strong inner impulse toward a particular course of action. It may be accompanied by conviction of divine influence or influenced by what one is good at, what one loves doing, and what the world needs. A calling can take many forms and lead to different vocations, professions, or trades. 

Uh, well that sort of sounds like that one phrase that we hear all the time. You know the one I am talking about. That dangerous one. FOLLOW YOUR HEART! Yea, that's the one. 

My God in Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked: who can know it?' 

NOW I know, as a Christian walking with the Lord, it is not what I love doing. Because when I am operating outside of Christ, I love listening to bad music, drinking, smoking, fornicating, all of these things. But one thing that I have always loved, is kids. I do not know why I have always been drawn to them. They are so much simpler that adults. They love you deeply and always tell you the truth! I have drawn towards them more than adults for my entire life. Thinking that because that is what I love and what I am good at, THIS has to be my calling. Working with youth is it!

BUT WAIT!!! OH MY GOSH! WHAT IF I HAVE IT ALL WRONG???

THE PANIC, THE FEELING OF BEING WRONG, THE DREADFUL FEELING OF DISAPPOINTING GOD. It can be so overwhelming sometimes. Not even joking, when we, or at least when I start thinking about it, it can eat me alive if I let it. 

SO...

Of course, we come to the question. 

How does one know his/her calling for sure?

In church and Bible study, I keep hearing this phrase and it means a lot to me right now. " You are not the main character" The youth today come up with all sorts of slang terms, and sayings, I have not really caught on to one until I heard this one. I'm sorry some of them are just crazy. Like right now, I have this girl at work that it obsessed with "Bougie" and when I had her sister, it was "Slay". None have stuck out until I heard this one. 

We are not called to be the main character of this story. So, if we are not the main character, then who is? 

1 Corinthians 10:31 Whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 

God wants to be the main character. Are we going to let Him be? Are we going to set aside our plans, our dreams, our ambitions that are lifting ourselves up and start lifting up the Lord. Stop seeking that next promotion that glorifies us. Stop seeking that next award or degree that only glorifies us. Stop seeking that that perfect credit score that glorifies us. Stop seeking that fancy car (or should I say Bougie car) that glorifies us.

There are many things that God calls us to do in the Bible. But I believe the overall picture, is that He calls us to me with HIM. Just like it was created to be. In perfect unity with the Lord. The perfect state of Eden. Isn't that just a  beautiful thought. He just wants us there with Him. 

When I look into calling in the Greek, it is klesis. Which literally means an invitation. He is calling us to HIM. All we have to do is say Yes, Lord. I am Yours. 

In order to be with God, we must be holy because He is Holy. 1 Peter 1:15-16 But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. Because it is written, be ye holy, for I am Holy. 

Luke 6:35-36 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in again, and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil, be ye merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 

God calls us to be Holy like He is. What do you think of when you think of God's character?

I think healer, deliverer, truth, righteous, loving, kind, merciful, gracious, forgiving, pure, undefiled, loves the fatherless and the widow, giving and generous, and humble. And that is just a few. These are our calling. Jesus calls us to love, to give, to go out and preach truth, to heal people, to set people free through deliverance, to forgive, to Love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind, and soul. 

He does not call us to anything that He is not going to equip us for. He tells us that in His word, and we know that His word is truth. Hebrews 13:21 Make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen 

Stop panicking about getting it right, and just be with the Lord. My prayer for us all today, is that we can stop seeking to lift ourselves up in whatever way we tend to do that and start lifting up our Lord and Savior. Our Creator and Maker of heaven and earth. Our Redeemer and Deliverer. The only reason why we have what we have. The one who graced us with forgiveness. The One who wants to love us so deeply and be with us that He gave His only Son so that can happen. That we would stop looking for a specific calling and look to the one calling!

What a beautiful love story. He just wants you. He is calling you BY NAME, INVITING you to the wedding. Put down the other stuff, pick up the call, and walk with HIM!