At the time of this posting, I work in higher education as an Academic Advisor. I see student after student coming into my office overcome with the enormity of choosing a major and a career path. They are terrified of this task for a few reasons, but mostly, they are scared that choosing the wrong career or major will leave them unfulfilled, unhappy and with a lot of debt.
They are afraid of missing their purpose in this life.
Or, it’s the opposite and know what the love doing, but they’re afraid the job they want won’t pay enough or they won’t be able to get a job. They are paralyzed in the present by fear of the future. Sound familiar?
Their fears aren’t unfounded, but I wish I could tell them that they probably won’t end up in the career they think they will. And that this is okay.
While I work at a secular college, I see young Christians doing the same thing: desperately searching for their God-given calling and purpose in life as if that is the key to their peace and joy and fulfillment in life.
I know, because I used to be that same girl. I clamored for every quiz, assessment, and tool that would tell me what I should do with my life. I believed one wrong turn would lead me down a road of unhappiness and a career I hated.
I majored in something I loved, but got too spooked and switched to something else. I ended up with a Master’s degree and a job in a field I didn’t really love because I was so afraid to trust my instincts and trust that God would take care of me.
I see Christians all the time talking about calling and purpose and I want to share what I see so many of us getting wrong, including myself. If only college-aged me could read this.
So, here is what Christians get wrong about purpose and calling and what we can do about it.
We Think Our Purpose Is Our Career or Position
I add “position” because not everyone searches for a career. Most do, but not all. Some strive for a title such as “spouse” or “parent.” Either way, this kind of thinking puts our ultimate purpose in what we do and not who we serve.
So often I see people searching for a specific title thinking that their purpose is linked to it, but ultimately what we do is either a vehicle for living out our actual purpose or it’s a way to pay the bills while we live out our purpose outside of business hours.
Our calling and purpose in this life has a lot more to do with whose we are than what we do.
While the specific way we carry it out may be different for each of us, we all have the same basic purpose we were created for here on earth:
- Relationship with God. (Leviticus 26:12)
- Bringing Him glory. (Matthew 5:16)
- Loving people. (John 15:12)
- Proclaiming the Gospel. (Mark 16:15)
- Making disciples. (Matthew 28:19-20)
If we are diligently seeking to fulfill our general purpose, I am certain He will guide us to the specific way He wants us to live for Him, whether that is a job or a mission field or raising a family.
We serve a faithful God and if we are seeking Him, He will place the right desires in our hearts and guide us to the right path. And sometimes, He will let us choose.
We Link Our Purpose With Our Joy
I see young people at my college and young Christians in church settings thinking their career or purpose is going to determine their quality of life or level of happiness. A big reason for this is that our jobs are tied to our income. Both overtly and covertly, we’re told that our income level determines our happiness level.
This message from the world is so loud, but it is so unbiblical.
No job or calling or income level will bring us true joy until we get a hold of this simple truth: Jesus is the ultimate source of our joy because joy is not determined by what we do or what is happening in our lives. When we choose to let our joy come from Jesus, it is steady and unchanging.
Any happiness found in a job or a perceived calling pales in comparison to the joy of following after Jesus. Often, He will call us to many different things and will ask us to serve Him in a variety of ways during our lifetimes. And we don’t have to worry we’ll be unhappy if we don’t find it.
Seek Jesus first and He will supply all your needs, including your joy and your calling. (Matthew 6:33)
We Think Finding Our Purpose is a Prerequisite for Fulfillment
I absolutely believe people can be called to specific careers or vocations or ministries. But, often that calling usually comes after they have surrendered themselves to God. And, if often changes over time.
Our souls can be completely fulfilled and satisfied before we ever received specific direction from God, because Jesus died to do just that. Because of the cross, we can find completeness and wholeness in Him, irrespective of any career or job.
Until we find our fulfillment in Him, we will never be satisifed with His blessings. They were never meant to complete us.
Not the perfect job.
Not the ministry position.
Not the husband or wife.
Not the babies.
None of it.
We can absolutely walk in our strengths and zones of genius and use those to serve God, but they are not the ultimate purpose for our lives. They are simply a means to an end.
So, if you’re struggling to find your calling or purpose, you likely aren’t alone. I struggled with this for a really long time, and it was because I had my focus in the wrong place.
Misty Phillip of MistyPhillip.Com shares what we can do if we’re in the midst of this struggle in this week’s Featured Post!
3 Things I Learned While Struggling to Find My Calling
Struggles come in all shapes and size some big, some small, but everyone has struggles unique to them. However, there are common struggles we all share. For instance, my youngest son graduates next year from high school and is thinking about his future. What he should do for work, where he should go to school, should he go to community college or go off to a University? When we have conversations with him about this it usually ends with us telling him to pray about and seek God. The truth is he may plan to go in one direction, but God may lead him in a completely different direction…
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