The Reasons God Brings Other Paths Into Our Life Before Our Calling
God has a divine calling for all of us. I believe that because He has promised us He has a plan. (Jeremiah 29:11) But what do we do with our current profession or role in life if we don’t yet know our calling or if we have one but our profession “gets in the way”? I try to shed some light on this from personal experience. Please feel free to comment with your own experiences below the article.
At the time of this writing, I am about two years into my revealed calling which is sharing spiritual insight with others including the subject of divine calling.
All of my adult life I have been, in some capacity, involved in architectural design or construction management and still am at the moment. Clearly, those roles don’t really apply to what I believe God has called me to.
Yet, I believe that all of the major events of my life from my school path to my career path were all a part of His plan even though I was never very successful at those things. I also now understand those ultimately weren’t the path I was destined to take. So why were those part of the plan?
The Why
My education, my career, everything that led up in the majority way to my “now” point was meant to develop me in certain ways.
Design school taught me how to think. It forced me to develop ideas and communicate them properly. It gave me a sense that ideas and their expression are art. It helped me develop the process of creating—and finishing—projects. Even though architecture school seems miles from this new calling I see it as having been so pivotal in my preparation.
As well, my occupation gives me access to some very sophisticated clients and helps me hone my ability to communicate with them. I have to constantly keep my client’s best interests in mind. Again, my job description requires copious amounts of planning and a persistent push to completion.
Of course, there were likely some other reasons for everything else that led up to now. In some ways, I believe it was all meant to just get me by until my calling. And in some ways, I believe it was meant to unsettle a little dissatisfaction in me.
The Wait
So what do you do if you don’t yet know what your calling is but you are on a path that you know is NOT your calling? Unless it just stinks I suggest sticking with it. As long as you didn’t accept your position for the wrong reasons, you very likely have been influenced to be there.
In my experience whatever you are in right now is building you in some way for the future. It is readying you. It just may be honing you in a certain, critical way that is necessary to transition you into your calling.
Maybe you are where you are at to gain certain contacts. I do believe that there is some reason that you are where you are at to gain opportunities that you wouldn’t be able to elsewhere.
Maybe you have some purpose to fulfill where you are at before your major calling—a mini calling if you will. You might never know who you are touching in some important way right now. God’s ways are mysterious so hang in there.
The Fill-In
Sometimes our profession supports our calling.
The apostle Paul was a tent maker by trade and stepped into the profession wherever he couldn’t get financial support for his true calling.
And it doesn’t appear that work ever bummed him out.
Paul reminds us in his letter to the Colossians, chapter 3, verses 23-24:
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
In many ways, Paul viewed work as another form of worship. And that is also important because it keeps you other-focused as well as grateful and both of those qualities keep you spiritually-minded.
The Balance
Current career versus calling is a delicate balance. The danger lies in settling for your current position. It’s a problem when you give up on believing that God will answer you with a calling.
I know, I’ve been there.
I’ve been frustrated nearly to death with not knowing what my purpose is in life and how to make my impact on the world around me.
But, it will come to you as it did to me if you keep seeking. Don’t be tidy with it, beg God for clarity.
Don’t avoid confrontation with your pain points—it seemed to make all the difference to me. Get close to someone who can inspire you even if their success ruffles the feathers of jealousy a little.
Don’t let anything get in the way of seeking God.
Take Away
Even if we don’t know our calling yet our current profession or other roles can be useful in preparing us for it. In other cases, our current role can support us in it. Your job is to keep moving forward in the expectation that you will find your life’s purpose or maintain gratitude that you have financial means while you start.
The seasons may be getting late in your life but don’t fear. I was 44 when I saw my purpose revealed. You might be older yet but time doesn’t mean a thing. All God asks is for us to seek Him and trust.
Whatever you are doing in life maintain your gratitude. It is yet another spiritual truth that “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.” (Luke 16:10)
There is a good possibility that you have to prove your faithfulness where you are at to be trusted with the divine call about to be placed.
At the end of the day, you may never know why you are where you are at. But I pray God’s blessing over you that you will be made aware of the specific purpose He has for you. If you are receptive I believe it will come.
Hello, my name is Aaron Force. I’m a blogger based in Seattle, Washington. I’ve been spiritually-minded for most of my life. Unfortunately, I’ve been carnally-minded for at least as much. I felt a seed of greatness hidden somewhere deep down inside but was blinded from it. That is until I experienced an honest-to-goodness calling and moment of awakening. I would be lying if I told you I had it all figured out. But I’m here to tell my story and maybe, just maybe, help you become aware of an even more amazing universe than the one your rational mind already knows.
Aaron Force is a blogger from Seattle, Washington. He writes to educate others about the nature of an expanded consciousness to evolve humanity. Aaron unexpectedly experienced his own profound awakening and ego transcendence in 2015 and soon understood that the qualities of his own experience (a greater expansion and evolution in his life) could be applied to mankind collectively.