Know Your Purpose and Identify Your Calling

Know Your Purpose and Identify Your Calling

Do you ever find yourself paralyzed and overwhelmed by life? Family responsibilities, work demands and simply maintaining relationships can leave us undone. I’m in that place right now. My good plans to recharge and reevaluate in December were sidelined and I’ve yet to catch my breath.

I’ve spent January decluttering my life and was about to get out my schedule and plan my ideal week when I realized that I needed to look at each day through the lens of my purpose and my calling.

Do You Know Your Purpose?

Jesus prayed to His Father saying: I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. John 17:4 (ESV, emphasis mine)

I had to ask myself the important question: Am I doing the work that God has given me to do or the work that I have purposed to do? Jesus glorified God, fulfilling His purpose on earth, by doing the work that His Father gave Him to do.

Likewise, our purpose is to glorify God by doing what He is calling us to do. Nothing more, nothing less. But how will we tune into this calling unless we know Him!

LB Cowman writes, “To know Christ is life’s greatest achievement.” You and I are unified in purpose—to know and glorify God. Looking at our lives through this lens will enable us to edit attitudes, activities and motives that are not bringing glory to God.

Identify Your Calling

If you’ve never identified your calling it’s not too late! Our calling is the unique way that we individually carry out our purpose. In fact, calling can vary as we move through different seasons of our lives but will often have a theme or a signature idea.

As parents we have a calling to raise devoted followers of Christ—eternal beings who will represent Jesus to the world. This doesn’t stop when they’re 18, 21 or start a family of their own. It’s a lifelong calling that varies as we move from disciplinarians and protectors, to advisors and friends.

In vocation, in family, in volunteering and in ministry we can identify a calling that will be beautifully interwoven between these different roles. Ask yourself these questions:

• Where did I find my greatest joy as a child?
• What seems too big for me to achieve on my own?
• What’s one thing you would do if there were no obstacles?
• What is God asking me to do today?

If your life is feeling off-center it’s time to remember your purpose and identify your calling. Everything else will start to come into focus as you see things through the fresh motivation and inspiration that comes from an extraordinary life lived with intention.

Have you identified your calling?