Maybe Your Calling Doesn't Matter

Robert Heindel

In many Christian circles, we put a strong emphasis on the idea of "calling." We know that God has a plan and purpose for us, and feel insistent that once we know, or think we know, what that purpose is, our career path and lifestyle must fall into line. When we feel certain our calling is to become an actress, but the only job we can land is as a McDonald's employee, we are bound to feel confusion. I feel certain that my calling is to write and to teach, but I work as a part-time telemarketer. My LinkedIn doesn't align with my life plan, and I fear that is completely normal. 

There are many, many people who have a goal, dream, or vision for their lives and careers. Very few of us, however, end up doing for work what we thought we would. We may put thousands of dollars toward graduate education in a certain field, only to find that the job market is too slim for us to enter. Or, we might end up working in a completely different industry. No matter the case, many of us fall into jobs that aren't necessarily what we dreamed of. 

Sometimes it's because of a higher supply than demand. Sometimes it's because we simply need something that will pay the bills. Regardless, it is easy to feel dissatisfied in a career that is not what we hoped for. 

If we are insistent on a specific calling for our lives, be it writing, teaching, modeling, math, public speaking, missional work, or otherwise, it is very likely that we will aim to conform our lives around that calling. We may change our college studies, career pursuits, family life, geographical location, or otherwise with the intent that our lives align with our self-proclaimed purpose. This is not necessarily a bad thing. 

God does lay callings upon us. Some people really do have a spiritual draw toward specific careers, industries, and lifestyles. We have all been gifted talents from the Lord, and many of us desire to use those talents professionally. However, while we may be given a calling, we are also given a command. 

The difficulty with calling is that God is not always clear about His purpose for our lives. Scripture does not have a list of names and careers for us to read over. Thus, it is easy for us to misinterpret a "calling" in order to fulfill our desires. While calling may be vague in Scripture, God's other instructions for us are not. 

He does not tell us who will be doctors and who will be sales managers. He does, however, instruct us to love Him with our whole beings, and to love one another as we love ourselves. What is fantastic about this commandment is that it is clear, it is direct, and it applies to all people in all fields of work. 

We can love God faithfully in any career that does not violate his commandments. This means that politicians, pastors, and public school teachers can all use their work honorably to glorify God. We can do our best work in any setting, and God will delight in it, whether we are making coffee or designing prosthetics. We can get fired from a position as a data analyst and do freelance copywriting instead, and so long as we put our best work forward and offer gratitude to the Lord, He will delight in our faithfulness.

We can love God and our neighbor in nearly every career pursuit, which means that the burden of discovering our calling, and the pressure of having to stick by it once we think we've figured it out, is lifted off our shoulders. We don't have to know exactly what God has designed us for. We don't have to stress about how to get to the career we're certain He wants for us. We do, however, need to glorify Him in every step along the way, and trust that His plan, even when not revealed to us, is far better than anything we could come up with independently.