Grace Notes // Hope and a Future Week 3
Uncovering your calling.
Written by Keli Miller
“You deceived me, Lord, and I was deceived.” - Jeremiah, Chapter 20 verse 1
When has doubt crept in for you? Has there been a time when you have second-guessed or reconsidered everything you thought the Lord had spoken to you?
Jeremiah has been faithful to speak the message that God has revealed to him. And it’s that message that has led Jeremiah to the stocks where he is punished and ridiculed all day long. In this chapter, we see something beautiful. We see Jeremiah honor God in his wrestling and doubt. Jeremiah is second-guessing everything the Lord has called him to. He describes the message God has given him as a fire burning in his heart. Have you ever felt called to something so much to the point that it’s burned in your heart?
Determining your calling is no easy process. There is an endless amount of books written on this topic of determining our calling. We want to know what that one thing is that we were uniquely created for. We spend seasons of our lives searching and praying for this revelation.
Our calling is less of something that we find or stumble upon and more something that is formed and developed in us over time. So often we think of our calling as a finish line event. We are called to adopt. We are called to marriage. We are called to international missions. We are called to be a CEO. A financial advisor. A pastor. An author. The list goes on and on, but if we only view our calling as the finish line we will miss the point. Honoring God through the journey is the calling.
Calling is not just a moment when God shows you a particular path Or line of work, but rather it’s an invitation to be a part of something God is doing in and through your life. More than finding your calling, you are formed to your calling.
Calling is an expression of identity and our ultimate calling is to express that identity in losing ourselves in something greater. - Tod Bolsinger
Jeremiah had lost himself to something greater. God’s message had taken hold of his heart. As Pastor Holly put it on Sunday, there are two main callings we receive as Christians: The calling to Christ and the calling for Christ. When Jeremiah is doubting his calling he cries out to God, he is living out his calling to Christ. When he speaks the message in his heart, he lives out his calling for Christ. Our callings in life will be as much constant and they will be dynamic and evolving. The good news to hold on to, is that God will finish the work He’s started in you. If you let Him, you will be faithful to form you to your calling and in His likeness.
In the Word:
Jeremiah 20
Matthew 6:19-21
Hebrews 10: 19-39
Discerning Calling:
Discerning calling is a process of prayer, conviction, knowledge of self, knowledge of need, and passion. Take some time and reflect on the following questions. Reflect on them with someone close to you. Can they confirm or identify other things in you?
If money were not an issue, what would you do with your time?
What do you love to do? What do you hate to do?
What gives you energy? What drains the life out of you?
What do you want to change, shape, and leave better than you found it?
What segment of the population are you drawn to help?
What in your life is worth suffering for?