How Do I Know God’s Calling?
Throughout life it is natural for us as humans to dream and plan our future. We begin to imagine what life will look like 5, 10, 20, 35 years down the road. This perfect picture gets painted in our minds. Each detail is marked like a brushstroke, the wisp of each bristle coming together to make one image. As we navigate seasons of life this image changes influenced by our circumstances. The hardships, joys, challenges, and successes mold our desires.
Life being what it is, our perfect picture never actually comes together the ways we hope, the ways we dream for, the ways we even may long for. How we navigate these changes can be tough. They may be disguised as blessings or even tragedies. We are reminded of His word,
“ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27
The world is full of material attachments that we can hold onto, but the Lord asks us to release our own understanding of what is best for us and to embrace His own. To not be anxious or fearful about the future and to fully trust and surrender what he has designed for us.
This is so much easier to say than do, and it can be challenging to separate our will from the Lord’s will. There is no right or wrong way to do this, however here are some helpful practices that may serve you well when trying to understand what your next steps should be in life and balancing that with how to serve God.
Be still. Be quiet. That’s right… pause. Literally stop everything you are doing and sit with Jesus. Take it to prayer and really allow him to speak into your heart. I even challenge you to do this right now. Close your eyes and pray to Him. This is a learned skill and a challenging one to master. The key is to keep trying. It may be 30 seconds one day before you get distracted. Gradually time for prayerful focus will increase. Some days you may feel like a rockstar, others not so much. That is ok! Just keep going back to Him and leaning into His guidance for your life. By taking our questions, concerns, tribulations, and praises to Christ he will slowly reveal His plan. It is easy to become distracted with the outside noise of the world and our lives. Turn off the volume for just a little bit and embrace the silence to connect with Jesus.
“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
Take it to prayer. Ask yourself, are you praying about it as much as you are talking about it? If the answer is yes, kudos to you! If not, you may just need to spend more time in prayer. Surrendering the desire or request to Jesus fully. Praying to him to take away the desire from you and giving it back to him. Whatever this desire may be, it has been placed on your heart for a reason. Do not ignore that. On the same hand, try not to control it. It is ok to be honest and blunt with God. It is ok to pray bold prayers, but by praying bold prayers you must have bold faith that He will answer those prayers for you. They just may be answered differently than you imagine. Remember that painting for your life is perfect and beautiful, but may look different than the one you have dreamed of. Prayer is powerful and there is nothing more valuable than a conversation with God. Lean into it.
“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4
Be patient. Oh this one truly can be the worst! It is easy to act quick and want the big picture right away. We tend to long for the entire picture and masterpiece in one big unveiling. The masterpiece of our life is created by individual brushstrokes, just like that painting. God will reveal his plan in bits and pieces. This could look like placing a specific person in your path at the grocery store or planting a small desire in your heart that grows and grows until you can’t ignore it any longer. There is beauty in the wait. There is beauty in the uncertainty. There truly is beauty in being patient and not understanding it all at once. We may not ever understand on this side of heaven, but trusting in the Lord’s goodness for each and everyone of us will help to quiet those worries and troubling voices in our mind.
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7
Feel the feelings. Listening and waiting to see the Lord’s plan unfold is by no means easy. It can be frustrating! You may find yourself in spats of anger, short temper, tears that flow down your face, wails that escape, despair in your heart. Nothing lasts forever. Give yourself the space and permission to feel all the feelings you need to. Know they are valid. The key here is to find that balance where you do not get lost in those feelings. Feel them, yes. Let them consume you, no. You do not want to get lost in the sorrow, rather get lost in the Lord’s love for you. Despite the sadness and confusion you may be feeling, remembering His TRUTH. Some tangible strategies to help you through this may be journaling, talking it out with members of your support system, sharing in a support group, connecting with others in a similar season, watching talks/listening to podcasts on seasons of hardship, or taking a nice long bath with a candle lit and a good book.
“ No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13.
It doesn’t matter what season of life you find yourself in, God is there. He is there throughout the seasons of consolation. He is there throughout the seasons of struggle. HE IS ALWAYS THERE. The hardest thing is to release trying to control the situation and allow Him to lead us forward. He is with you always. Let us say yes to His perfect plan for our lives shall we? Personally, I cannot wait to see what my masterpiece looks like, I hope you can’t either.
