Stop Dating Your Calling

I recently had the privilege to talk with a ministry of women about how to know when we are called by God to do something.

Before we allow this to get complicated, don’t miss the simplicity of how God works; we go to God on purpose and He combines our natural giftings with an opportunity to serve other people.

That’s really it. Your past shortcomings are not a factor here and your knowledge or lack of knowledge will not hold you back.

If you don’t have a clue what your current calling is, lean in.

If you have a clue what your calling is, lean in.

Clarity to understand what God is asking of you comes when you abide (staying close) and obey (no matter what He asks).

The call, aka the opportunity God gives you to serve others and make Him known, most often starts very small, almost unnoticeable, but God is good to nudge your heart towards it. You won’t be able to stop thinking about it and it will be hard to ignore, no matter how small of a step it may be. Truthfully? It will look insignificant for a reason; our obedience to a small step is often more telling of our faith than one big jump into a major opportunity.

Before my calling to begin writing, God called me to meet with Him every morning during a really painful season. The next small step was to write His truths down on paper. Then He called me to start sharing more publicly. From there it was the nudge to go to school to deepen my study of His word. Then it was a blog. Not one step along the way was groundbreaking. I could have easily missed every single one. But, being in His Word daily kept His plan for all Christ-followers at the front of my mind and I saw ways that He would pair my natural giftings with that plan.

Once you know what God has called you to do, don’t allow the enemy to convince you to “date” your calling, but be prepared to metaphorically marry your calling.

Dating gives us the chance to try and then change if we aren’t satisfied. This is not how obedience works. Understand that when we marry our calling, just like in marriage, the calling will grow and change over time as God moves it forward.

But don’t be fooled, you will ALWAYS feel unprepared in your calling when you try to move faster than God. What I mean is, when you know the calling but you try and add all of the extras to it, you will feel like you are way out of your league. Obedience with God will leave a lot of unknowns, but you will feel confident in His leading because He prepares you for the step He's given you for today.

The calling is not your big break. Your calling is the service of your life. Don't let the enemy confuse you right here. Your calling will not make people want know more about you, it will make people want to know more about Jesus.

Don't forget that your calling won’t make sense to most people. As a people pleaser and peacemaker, I’ve been praying this prayer a lot lately; “God, help me to think independently of others and completely dependent on You.”

So, lean in right now. Block out all outside noise. When you choose Jesus, you begin to know His voice. Reading Scripture will become the most treasured moments of your day because it's there that you will find Him and your calling. Lean in with the intention to obey today's step, even if it's been the same step for the last few years. Keep obeying. Keep leaning in. The preparation is part of the process and if you're like me, there has been a ton of prep-work.

You know you've got my support. I'm cheering you on. Your obedience is your greatest win today.

With Love,

Em