God Called You and Gave You Gifts.
We all have a purpose, gifts, and callings. Yep, that is understood, typically without explanation.
As Christians, though, sometimes I think we only think of this truth in terms of church or ministry within the church. We often hear conversations about “the call” as it pertains to preaching, serving, or “doing the Lord’s work”.
Well, what if I told you that the “outside the church’s walls” passion you have is the Lord’s work?
I just started reading a book called “Cure for the Common Life” by Max Lucado. To give you an idea of what it’s about, I’ll give you a quote from the “back of the book” synopsis.
“God made only one version of you. He custom-designed you for a one-of-a-kind assignment.”
What Gift and Calling Did God Design for You?
Reading that got me thinking of how God began placing the passion for writing in my heart early on. Sometimes we forget that part… you know… the early on. As far as I was concerned, I never wanted to be a writer – it kind of just happened. Do you know what I realized? That’s not true at all. Early on, I loved to read and write. As a child, I would write and send letters to my relatives (y’all remember mailed letters lol?). In high school, my classmates would ask me to proofread their papers before turning them in. This was enjoyable to me and they thought I was crazy but useful. In college, I loved when an English paper was due, and if it was to be 12-15 pages, that was even better!
I know, nuts, right? But, that was God instilling in me that I was to be a writer and a lover of words.
So often, we overlook our passion and skill because it’s not necessarily what we deem to be “ministry”. But, God calls us to skills and talents that we wouldn’t normally think to infiltrate. I have a niece who is a painter, it’s her calling and God has gifted her to reach those outside the walls of the church. I have a friend who is a makeup artist. It is a calling, a gifting, that she has and is passionate about. Her attention and concern for proper skincare before the makeup goes on has led her to start her own skincare line. And there are so many others that I could tell you about.
So, What’s the Play Call?
The fact is and will always be that everyone is not called to be a pastor, a singer, or even the cook for all the church functions. It is also a fact that what you are called to do is important and assigned to you by God. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you struggle with whether or not your “call” is relevant:
- Your call precedes you. Yep, before there was a you, there was your calling. Sounds crazy, but it’s true. “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.” Ephesians 1:4 (NLT)
- God will strengthen you to fulfill the call. He surely will, even though it may not be on a Sunday morning from a pulpit. “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13 (NLT)
- When you get scared, trust God. Doing “new” things can be terrifying, especially if they haven’t been done. Trust God with your fears. “But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.” Psalms 56:3 (NLT)
- Nothing that comes from God is mediocre or unimportant. Everyone’s gifts and callings were thought out, planned, and delivered by the Almighty God. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights…” James 1:17
I’ll leave you with this quote from chapter 2 of Cure for the Common Life, “When you do the most what you do the best, you put a smile on God’s face. What could be better than that?”
