Stepping Into Your Calling
Did you know that you have a calling? You might not be called to be a pastor or evangelist, but God calls us all to reconciliation. What does that mean? It means that once we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we have an obligation to tell others about Him. We're not supposed to be closet Christians.
How we tell others about Jesus is as unique as you are, your personality is unique, and how we talk is unique. Therefore, how you tell people about Jesus will also be unique to you.
I remember when my husband was a new pastor and was still searching for his "pastor voice" – his way of preaching and teaching the Word. He had seen other pastors start their sermons with a joke, so he tried that. As I'm sure you can imagine, those jokes flopped every week, and he could never get the punch line quite right. I think I did some of my best praying sitting in the front row as I prayed for him trying to find his way. We can joke about this now because he is such a natural preacher. He found his way of doing things and how the message would flow through him.
It's okay to learn from others and see how they do things. But then we must pass it through the filter of who we organically are.
I love to write. It feels natural to share the gospel through my blogs and books, and I get pretty bold with my writing too! However, if you told me to go door-to-door telling people about Jesus or walking up to a stranger and starting a conversation, I would be terrified and not know what to say. Other people I know can talk to a fence post and get it saved but would struggle to express it through pen and paper.
God needs all of us to do our part and use the unique gifts He has given us to fulfill our calling of reconciliation. Plus, when we stand before Him someday at the judgment seat (which we all will do), He will ask us if we did what He asked us to do.
What if I felt God leading me to write my book but gave Him the excuse, "I don't know the first thing about getting a book published." Many times we still need to grow in our natural talents. We need to find mentors and those who have done similar things and learn from them. The balance is learning from them, not trying to BE them.
I found other Christian authors that I have learned from, who coached me through this life of an author. I admire their work and often fight the feeling that my writing will never be as good as theirs. If you ever have that "imposter syndrome" or feel like you will never be good enough, you might as well stop now. You are listening to the enemy's lie, trying to get you to stop.
God's Calling Is Your Sweet Spot
Psalm 37:3-5 says, "Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass."
The first thing we must do to step into our calling is TRUST God. This verse says that He wants to give you the desires of your heart. He will not make you do something opposite to who you are. Now, we will grow you, and there are times of stretching that isn't the most pleasant, but it's to get you to the end goal of the desires of your heart.
As a child, I loved writing anything! Each year my grade school would have a book fair, but leading up to it, we would write our own books, and our teacher would laminate and bind them like an actual book. How exciting! It was the highlight of my year, but to others, it might have been the worse project ever! The point is I had a deep desire to write that was placed in me when God formed me in my mother's womb.
The desire was there, but I had to do something with that desire. I had to develop it and stretch and grow, and I am still learning and growing every day. I hope my writing today is better than when I first started writing blogs.
Same thing with music. God placed a desire and gift in me to sing and play instruments. My mom will tell you that I started singing in my crib. Although I have a natural musical talent, I still sought private lessons. I even went to college to develop my giftings. Why? To use my gift to serve God and serve others. I count it a privilege to teach my students lessons and lead others into God's presence each Sunday morning through praise and worship. It was a desire of my heart that has become my calling.
What desires has God placed in your heart? How did you like to play when you were little? I wanted to play teacher, sing on a stage, and write books – precisely what I'm doing now! What would you be doing if you didn't have any obstacles?
God's calling for your life will be your "sweet spot," which feels so natural when you do it. That's because God's grace is on you for that purpose. People have told me, "I could never play piano and sing – let alone at the same time." Yet, playing piano and singing is as natural to me as breathing…now.
My Story
The second part of Psalm 37 3-5 is to commit your way and trust God. That means committing to God to step into those desires of your heart and trust Him so that He can help you bring them to pass.
I had piano lessons as a child, but reading the treble clef and bass clef simultaneously was a struggle. However, my heart's desire was to sit at the piano and sing and worship God. I remember praying and declaring my desire to the Lord. And do you know what happened? I got a call from my pastor asking if I would play piano for worship on Sunday. Before I knew what I was saying, I heard myself reply in the affirmative. Yes, I would help him out and play. And as soon as I got off the phone, reality set in. I can't play the piano well enough for that! So, I called him right back and didn't back out, but asked if all the songs could be in the key of C, no flats or sharps, just the white keys. He obliged, and I frantically began to practice once he gave me the songs.
I would like to tell you that worship was wonderful that Sunday. However, as I sat at the black grand piano on the church stage, the anxiety that was ever present whenever I performed came upon me. I fumbled my way through every song, my face red with embarrassment. But I did it! I was obedient to take the step of faith toward my heart's desire. And do you know what happened in the days, months, and years to closely follow? God supernaturally gave me an understanding of playing chords. I had never in my life been taught how to do it, but all of a sudden, I could play reading chord charts. As I practiced, the gifting increased, and like I previously said, playing and singing to the Lord is as natural to me as breathing.
But it took committing my way to God and trusting Him to step out in faith when He gave me the opportunity to do so. Some of you might have a desire in your heart, but when given that door of opportunity and faith, you have shrunk back in fear. I'm so thankful that I took that step of faith out of pure obedience to God. That is where grace makes up the difference between what we lack in our lives. (2 Corinthians 9:8)
Following God and stepping into your calling is a life-long process. Hebrews 6:11-12 says, "And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises."
Do what you know to do today, and then the next day, and the day after that. Take each step by faith, believing that as you take a step, God will give you the grace for the next step. Walking out your calling is a journey, not a destination. God wants a relationship with you and wants you to rely on Him every step of your life and calling.
What desires has God placed on your heart? Share with us in the comments below.