You have a calling. Really. You do.
Some people believe a calling only comes directly from God as an assignment. Other folks believe only professional ministers have a calling. In everyday life, we’ll even use phrases like, “You’ve found your calling,” or “this is definitely not my calling.” But what exactly do we mean by “calling”?
We believe there is a kind of calling that is for everyone. Let’s start by looking at a few types of employment to better understand this kind of calling.
Job
A job is where you work for money. This should seem rather intuitive. Many of us have jobs. We work and we get paid for that work.
When we have a job, you’ll hear us say things like:
- TGIF (Thank God it’s Friday)
- Oh God, it’s Monday
- Today is Hump Day (Wednesday)
If we live our whole life this way, our epitaph might say something like, “Made it through the week. Lived on the weekends.” Or maybe we should just put “TGIO” on the tombstone, you know, “Thank God, It’s Over”.
Career
There is a distinct difference in our personal experience of a job verses a career. When we have a career, it’s no longer, “anything for a buck.” Rather, we’re trying to capitalize on our strengths and do work that we enjoy. For this reason, some of us are in the same career for a lot of years, maybe even for a lifetime.
When we have a career, we say things like:
- This is good for my career advancement
- I need to clarify my career goals
- What’s holding my career back?
If we live our life this way, our epitaph will probably have the usual on it – you know, something like: “1955-2013.” In our eulogy, people will tell stories of our life, and they will say they will miss us.
Calling
If we never discover our calling and all we have is a career, somewhere along the way, we’ll start to feel like something is still missing. We have a great career, but somehow it’s not bringing satisfaction like we thought it would. This is because our career is all about us.
When we discover our calling, it’s not about us anymore. It’s about our contribution to others. We combine our strengths and passions to make a meaningful impact in the world.
When we live our calling, we say things like:
- This is it!
- My life makes so much more sense now
- I am satisfied
If we live our life this way, our epitaph might be a tribute to our time here on earth. But even if the burial site isn’t anything special, at our eulogy, people will be getting up and saying that their life is better because of us. Who knows, maybe the house will be packed at our funeral – standing room only. Wouldn’t that be something?
I don’t know about you, but I want to live my calling, not just have a job or career.
What about you? Have you discovered your calling? Tell us about it.
