What is not your calling?
Today I came across an online test, once again, with the title “how you can find your calling from God: 6 steps to find God’s calling in your life”.
And that made me think.
Let’s start with the most important calling that every Christian has received:
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20
So, the question is not whether you have a calling, (the verse from Matthew is clear, you have one), and whether you have to do something (everyone has that calling and has to do something), but what “service” you have for that calling. During our search for God’s will for our ministry and the practical steps to make that possible, we also often were asked:
How did you hear that calling from God, and what calling is it?
And that question was often(!) asked. And often very critical. To be honest, nothing is wrong with that. Are you certain that God calls you for this service specifically? And if so, why do you think so?
But now it comes … We only received that question when we left to another country with our ministry … After that, we have never heard the question again.
However… and here it comes… once you’re working on that missionary field, someone comes to you every once in a while “we are still looking for help for X, you can help us with that”. And if that X is in line with our ministry, then I understand, but in numerous instances, it has nothing(!) to do with X. (fictional examples, but from my own past years ago, within churches and mission organizations)
Can you help us with the Sunday school because we have a shortage and think that you are suitable for it? We would be so grateful if you can do that.
We are still looking for an accountant for our organization, you are handy with computers and Excel, would you like to do that?
You are really handy with technology, we have a chronic shortage of car mechanics, would you not want to learn that?
The Spirit has told me that you have to do children’s work, and we have a huge shortage of it, so if you want to do that, that’s a huge blessing.
You have so much knowledge, we think you are suitable for doing our Bible study. Can you start next Wednesday?
Everyone who knows me (M) a bit sees the problems … Not only I am definitely not the person who is suitable for some of those things, but there is another problem. Do you see it?
God has given us a specific ministry at the moment. Coaching, counseling, therapy.
Our ministry is even more specific for some target groups, so those target groups are always number one. If we have time, we can use the “coaching, counseling, therapy service” for other things, but it is very clear “coaching, counseling, therapy”. We never “just” hand out food .. We hand out food to come to “coaching, counseling, therapy” to come to the calling: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” That is the goal. Full stop.
(For us) We do not repair cars, running a children’s service in a church, being an accountant for someone else, or whatever (again, fictional questions) if that does not lead to our clear ministry: “Coaching, counseling, therapy”.
To give you an example, M has been an electrician, Sound Engineering, IT person, manager (all by trade, licensed) and so on. Yes, he can do that here too, he can do wiring, even professionally. But is that my calling / operation at the moment?
Suppose someone will be coming tomorrow if I can do things like that? Then the answer is, yes. I can do that. But the actual question is … is that my ministry at the moment? Really and truly?
To make it even clearer, many missionaries go to the mission field with a specific calling. They are completely vetted about that that calling (rightly so) before they leave by the missionary organization, church, sponsors and more. Nothing wrong with that, on the contrary. But….(literally!) on the day they arrive, someone is told:
Sorry, you came here for the music team, but for now, we need more children’s workers, so go to Peter for your assignment for Children’s Work.
And there you are … and then suddenly there is no one who is talking about your calling. No one. Strange right? How is that even possible? And this does happen, more than once… we hear the stories way too often.
Even more scary?
You came for the music team, but can you also do X, Banana, Green, 21 and a car? Because we have so much work to do …
No question asked if that’s your calling, let alone if that’s your expertise… nothing. “We all have to flexible for god’s kingdom”…. uuuuhhh….. yeah…
Are you really called to do that? Are you really the person, and are you good at it? You work for God, so are you really capable of doing X, banana, green, 21 and car good for God? Not like 50% good, but for God 110% good? Are you?
Our calling, presently, is “coaching, counseling, therapy”, even with a few specific target groups that always go first (!). Can I help those target groups if I connect a new sound system when standing on a ladder? No.
“Sorry, I understand that you are suicidal, but in the coming week church X asked if I want to hang new lamps in building Y, so next week you will be the first”
(fictional)
Do you see what goes wrong? And now it comes … That often goes wrong. Very often, very wrong. Literally hundreds of missionaries get a burnout per year. The reason for this is quite diverse, but let’s first start asking ourselves, just as we were asked before we started doing this work:
Are you confident that God calls you for this service specifically? And if so, why?
If someone else says, “that the Spirit told them that you have to do something,” did that spirit also tell you the same? Are you certain? Is that really your calling at the moment? Not “can you”, but “does God ask you that”. And if not… .. what do you do then? Our advice: if God has not given you that calling, say no, don’t do it, listen to God His calling / ministry for you and don’t burn up.
And suppose you work in a church and you (unfortunately, once again) already have a serious shortage of people who want to help with the children’s work … Before you ask someone … Is that person really called by God to do that? And if you are convinced that God asks you to ask Robert for service X, and Robert says no…. Or Robert does not respond enthusiastically … Perhaps Robert literally says, “I don’t see that as my calling”. What do you do? “Convince” them? Talk them into it. Is that the way to go???
Do we give the Roberts of this world the spiritual space to listen to God and his calling for a ministry, or are we just “gun it”, do we push “our need”? Perhaps it is better to have no children’s services today (or the entire month, or all year).
In all honesty: rather no children’s services than allowing someone to lead the children’s services that are not called by God. Agreed?
Perhaps it is time for the course:
If I know what the calling is God gave me, how do we monitor that in honor of God?
Your body, your health, is not yours, that temple is of God. Take care of that. The body, the health of your fellow team member, that temple, is certainly not yours, but also of God. Also take good care of that:
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
1 Corinthians 6:19
Intriguing questions, and something to think about.
Ah, let’s happily close it with the last question: What service do you have for the calling?
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20
And yes, God can change our specific calling / “job” tomorrow. But that’s up to Him, in His time, and we’re looking forward to it when He wants us to. Our eyes and ears are open, but for now, this is what we do for Him. 110% .
