Have you ever felt conflicted; as though your job and your calling were not aligned, or worse-that it was the polar opposite of who you were? I have, and for me sometimes that feeling left me burning with a deep anxiety-the burning fear and question being am I wasting my life? And another like it-am I pursuing what God really sent me to do or is this secular career interfering with who God has made me?
And just a couple of days ago, I heard 3 words in the same sentence that have set me free in so many ways. Identity. Calling. Vocation. Today, I will be sharing how exactly they can also set you free wherever you are; to give you peace about your current situation and the confidence that you have what it takes to get there.
Identity in another word is being. It is intrinsic, a core of who you are and it defines your worth. Our understanding of our own identity forms the foundation of what we believe is within our reach and what we dare set our sights on. For you and me as believers, our identity is a simple statement laden with meaning. We are sons of God and the bride of Christ. This is what tells us our value and our worth. Our worth is the blood of Christ-and that is the power behind us in whatever we decide to do.
Our identity is independent of whatever our choices with career, friends or otherwise maybe. It is like the anchor that prevents the ship from morning, Or even better, the lighthouse that is able to guide the ship back to the shore should the raging winds ever distort its course. And I think the most critical thing to remember is our identity is independent of our career, or calling or achievements in life. Rather, all ought to flow from our sense of identity; from the inside out. Trying the reverse will always leave us empty and feeling as though there is something we are missing.
Second to explain and second in priority of these three is calling; or as others would like to call it purpose or mission. I think is best described as the statement that outlines our assignment on earth; or our mission. It is easy to confuse our mission and our vocation; to believe that your vocation but the is your mission.
But the reality is that your calling/purpose/mission is the “Why” statement of your life that guides your choice of vocation. It can be a simple statement like “to inspire change amongst the youth” or “to spread the message of Christ;” or even to “Be a faithful steward of God’s talents.” This statement is one I believe we discover as we honestly ask the question “What really matters to me?” and “What really matters to God?” Often, this will involve a journey of discovery and pursuit.
For me at least it has. Because I discovered that I have a lot of things that pique my interest-some even for weeks on end but only one has remained constant throughout the years. The desire to inspire generations to fully trust in God.
Vocation has to with your nine to five; or 7 to 3. Your job. This is born by a combination of your skills and opportunities that open up to you. Often, our choice of vocation are primarily defined by our parents, our location and the influences around us. More-so if you are in the predicament I find myself in as an African. We are not big on career guidance and the sum total of it for my generation sounds something like “Get a good degree, and a good job in a good company.” It is rarely a question of finding intrinsic motivation, but rather placing yourself in a career most likely to make money.
As a result, we often make the mistake of trying to find our mission or our why from whichever career we find ourselves in. This becomes a source of frustration when we realise that success in any career will involve making sacrifices and going the extra mile-a choice that we are unwilling to make because we are just not invested enough in. Needless to say, we often realise later on in life that our calling and our vocation seem to be misaligned and we struggle with whether or not we need to make a change. Or we doubt if what God is saying makes sense because we have advanced in one vocation-and why would we start a learning process again?
The main reason we doubt is we often forget that the way to live out your mission or calling is never stuck or tied to one vocation. However, this is what often we need to remember the most. Wherever you are, it remains possible to learn the skills and position yourself for a different vocation. Especially in today’s day and age where the internet has changed the shape and speed of the learning curve.
It is simple to change your vocation multiple times and still answer the same “why”. For example, a teacher, a writer or a business owner can all have the same mission of “Inspiring young people to do better.” One works with them directly, one may write to cater to the youth and one simply may be a role model. The mission is the same, but the vocations differ to cater to different gifts and skillsets.
So from today, I hope you conclude with a clearer understanding of Identity, Calling and Vocation. And that if you are like me, you become unafraid to map out a plan to chart a course to a different vocation-better aligned with your why, and your unique set of gifts and talents.
For more valuable insights and conversation on this topic, I would refer you to what has been an very valuable resource for me in this journey of discovery-the Ken Coleman show for more regular podcasts and information.
I hope you have been blessed.
Selah