Consider Your Calling

On a crisp fall morning, I recently had a rare opportunity for a weekday breakfast at a local restaurant.  As I sat down with my coffee, I noticed a large group encircled around tables pushed together.  I was the only other guest on the patio, so I could not help but overhear their conversation.  It became obvious that they were younger retirees that gather regularly for breakfast at this restaurant.  Finally, one gentleman stood up to leave.  One of the women called out, "you are leaving?  Where do you have to go?  You are retired!"  

As I left that morning, the scene and the words the woman spoke reverberated in my mind.  I think, sometimes, especially those of us who have been in the workplace for a long time, fantasize about such mornings and gatherings -- days when we can sip coffee at our leisure and have no place to go. I don't.  Please understand, I will retire from my job, but I will pursue my calling until I am called Home.  

Christine Caine, founder of A21 Campaign and PropelWomen, recently made the comment, "What are you going to do -- retire and play golf, really?  As long as we are breathing, God has placed us on this earth for a purpose."  

Many years ago, I found my calling to be using my path to help others find theirs.  Maybe, my journey can serve as a roadmap for others trying to find their way.  Perhaps, by studying the path I took, someone else could avoid pitfalls and stumbles along theirs.   Possibly, I made a decision at a fork in the road that is helpful to someone else to discern direction and the right steps to take on their road.

How do you find your calling?

1.  It's the thing that gets you up in the morning.  It resonates not just in your heart and mind, but sizzles in your soul.

2.  It's what others tell you that you do best.  A calling draws upon your greatest gifts and deepest talents.

3.  A calling is the way you use your energy that makes an impact on the world, or at least your part of the world.

4.  It's the moment and the activity in which you feel God's pleasure.

Unlike a job that is for a season, a calling will beckon us for a lifetime.  It creates an inner drive and restlessness when we live outside of it and peace when we are embracing it and living inside of it.  A job is printed on your resume'.  A calling echoes in your epitaph.  

Consider your calling and diligently pursue it.  For one person or maybe many, it may make all the difference.