"Where is God calling you?"

I had someone ask me, "Where is God calling you?" It's hard for me to answer this question. I see God's calling a little differently than most: I don't think God's calling for my life (or anyone's life) is any one job or career in particular. Rather, I think it's more of a role. Some key thing God can use you for wherever you go.

Let's start by breaking this down. First, we know God does call us to things. Primarily to "act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly" with Him (Micah 6:8). Second, we know that God does call us to more specific tasks, as can be seen with Paul. He was called not to the reached, but to the unreached; those who had not yet heard the Gospel were his quarry. Third, we know that since a calling exists, and that God wants us to follow that calling, we must be able to find out what it is.

So how do we find out what our calling is? Well, there's actually a lot of things we can do. For a more studied approach, I turn to Pastor John Piper. He has written a great article on how to "Determine God's Calling in Your Life." Give it a read when you can. I'll simply echo what he's written there. You need to be in the Word, know where you are and what you can do, know who/what you're burdened for, listen to God and the spiritual leaders He's put in your life, and ultimately surrender everything to God's control.

When we do these things, we can start to see and follow the calling God has for us. For some people it may be one job they hold for the rest of their life, for others it may change as they live. Since there's no way of knowing which type of calling you have, I'd say that your calling is actually a role. This way your calling doesn't change. God may move you from one job to another, but your role in each job will ultimately be the same.

The role I see in my life is one of focused training & teaching. Whenever I teach someone, it's always about focusing in on one thing they can work on, change, or learn so that they can become who God wants them to be. Whether it's teaching kids, training adults, blogging, designing websites, or creating publications, all of it is focused on helping the person or thing be all it can be. Kind of like a coach.

So what's God's calling for your life? What's your role? Take some time to think & pray about it. Get in the Bible. Find a spiritual leader who can disciple you. Worship God. Place your life in His hands. Find out what you want to change in the world. And when you find your role, put everything into it and give God all the glory!

Godspeed,

Jason