How do I know if I’m called?
“Of course, you have to know that you're called."
I was a recent graduate, trying to work out what I should do with my life. So I set off to a missions conference, relishing the prospect of finding out what adventures God had in store for me.
Every break time at the conference, I made a point of quizzing wise missionary veterans who had served overseas for decades: "How did you know where to go?" In almost every case, they began by talking about being 'called'.
To be honest, I found it pretty dissatisfying. It left me more puzzled: 'What actually is this 'calling'? And how do I know if I'm called? Will I see writing in the sky?' They spoke about it as if it was obvious, but it wasn't to me.
I think they meant an inner sense of purpose; a conviction that God is sending you to a specific place or task. That’s ok, but...
What does the Bible say?
As I looked at the Bible, I found four different kinds of 'callings':
1. The General Call - to all people everywhere to repent and believe (e.g. Mark 1:15; Matthew 22:14).
2. The Effectual Call - to those God calls to become Christians and who do actually repent and believe (e.g. 1 Corinthians 1:2; Romans 8:28-30).
3. The Godly Call - to Christians to live like Christians (e.g. 1 Thessalonians 4:7; 1 Peter 2:21)
4. The Unique Call - to specific roles for individuals.
In terms of a 'Unique Call', you might think of people like Isaiah or Jeremiah. But the way God called them is a far cry from our experience (e.g. Isaiah 6:1-9; Jeremiah 1:1-10).
Now you might be getting as frustrated with me as I was at that missions conference!
So let me be clear: instead of talking about ‘calling’, I think it’s more helpful to look at the ‘gifts’ and ‘body’ language in the New Testament.
Body Language
In 1 Corinthians, Paul uses the well-known metaphor of the Church being the body of Christ: "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." (1 Corinthians 12:12, 27). When it comes to working out what to do with our lives, this means considering how we can use our gifts to serve the wider purpose of the Church.
In his letters, Paul gives some examples of the different gifts we’ve been given. More obvious ones include healing, prophecy and tongues. But gifts also include things like serving, giving, helping and even administration! (You can read some of the lists of gifts in these verses: Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28-30; Ephesians 4:11; 1 Peter 4:10-11)
"Go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:18-20). This is the purpose of the Church (see also 1 Peter 2:9). That doesn't mean every Christian has to go overseas. Even some of those first disciples stayed put while others travelled far and wide.
But we do all have a part to play with our different gifts. You could say there are at least 6 ways of being part of that commission to make disciples of all nations: Learn, Pray, Welcome, Send, Inspire and Go.
So what is my part?
Authors Michael Goheen and Jim Mullins describe what they call the 'vocational sweet spot', the place where four categories overlap[1]:
- Abilities - what are you good at?
- Affections - what do you care about?
- Aches - where do you encounter the brokenness of the world?
- Anchors - what are the realistic circumstances in your life?
How do I find my vocational sweet spot?
Here are some suggestions - it spells SALT, what God wants us to be in the world! (Matthew 5:13)
- Seek God - pray for God to show you the way and give you wisdom to know how best to discern his will as you explore your vocational sweet spot.
- Ask for Advice - talk to your pastors, your parents, wise friends, people who love you and know you well, who might be better able to objectively see the gifts God has given you.
- Listen and Learn - find out more about God's world. Read missionary biographies. Come along to a NextGen event. Join a mission prayer group. Find out about the different peoples of the world, what the world needs, where those 'aches' are.
- Try it out - then step out in faith and try something. Don't wait for a lightning bolt from the sky. Where you see a need, serve, whether that's putting your name on the church cleaning rota, or lobbying your MP for justice for the persecuted Church.
If all that sounds a bit complicated, don't worry. I suspect God is more interested in that third type of calling; our lifestyle more than our livelihood, our confession more than our profession.
So love God and love your neighbour, both across the street and across the world, and do it all for God's glory. If you're doing that, you can't go wrong! After all, that’s something we’re all definitely called to do!
[1] 'The Symphony of Mission', p148f; they adapted a model from Amy Sherman, 'Kingdom Calling'