It is easy to imagine that what we are passionate about is an indicator of our purpose in life. I can’t tell you how many people said to me over the years, “Choose a job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”
But what if they’re wrong? What if what we’re passionate about is not God’s purpose for our life? Is it possible that God sometimes uses trials and tough times, or even pain, to guide us to our real purpose in life?
In my own life, I loved the years I spent selling and managing a sales force. But even more, I loved the years I spent in marketing. And I like to think I was good at both sales and marketing.
But near the end of my career, the company went through a major restructure, and the uncertainty in my career forced me to do some serious soul searching.
Were selling and marketing, as much as I loved both, my real purpose in life? Or did my purpose lie elsewhere?
The company restructure caused me to rethink my life purpose. But, ultimately, I couldn’t escape the feeling that God had another path for me. That led me to resign, enter the seminary, and begin my life in ministry focused on reaching you, Christians in the marketplace.
Our Purpose Revealed Through a Waffle Maker
In their book, You on Purpose, authors Stephanie Shackleford and Bill Denzel describe how trials and even pain can point us toward our purpose:
“Think of a waffle maker with two sides to shape who you are. On one side of the waffle maker are your delights, desires, and passions. On the other side is the opposite of what we want—pain, suffering, and disappointment. No one longs for those things, but they shape us as well. They can point us toward our purpose if we embrace them as tools that God uses to direct us.”
Understanding our passions can help us understand our calling in life, but our purpose is not always found in our passions. Sometimes God uses trials, difficulties, and even pain to direct our path toward our true calling.
Several disciples are great examples of people who found their calling in life after being interrupted by difficulties or trials.
Paul Was Blinded to His Purpose
Paul was a Pharisee, highly educated in the Scripture, and a student of Greek philosophy. He persecuted Christian believers and wanted nothing more than to put an end to the Christian faith.
His persecution of Christians ended one day when a blinding light stopped him on the road to Damascus. In the light, Jesus spoke, accusing Paul of persecuting the church.
Because of his encounter with Jesus, Paul was blinded for three days and had to be helped the rest of the way to Damascus. Paul followed Jesus’ instructions, and his sight was restored. Paul devoted the rest of his life to teaching the world about Jesus through his missionary journeys, the churches he started, and as the author of at least thirteen New Testament books!
Paul’s true purpose in life came not out of his passionate persecution of the church but through the confrontation and trials he endured for Christ’s sake.
Our Purpose Is Revealed in Passion and Pain
To think of our purpose in life as stemming only from our passions is short-sighted. Often, our true calling arises from our passions and trials.
In Paul’s case, he was a passionate defender of Judaism and persecutor of the Christian faith. His education and experience as a Pharisee uniquely equipped him for that role. But Paul’s experience with Jesus on the Damascus Road changed all that. All those early life experiences and broad education ultimately enabled him to endure trial after trial as he spread the Gospel throughout the known world.
As I look back at my own life experience, I realize now, with perfect 20/20 hindsight, that all those years I enjoyed in the corporate world were God’s way of preparing me for what He had in mind all along.
My question for you is, “Are you pursuing a calling based solely on your passions?” If so, my challenge for you is to consider whether some trial, difficulty, or pain in your life is God working to direct your path to your true purpose!
More Articles
I have written several articles on this topic. You can find them by typing “Purpose/Passion” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are a few of my favorites.
- #446: Do You Labor in Vain or For the Glory of God?
- #269: What Strategy Do You Need to Finish Well?
- #263: What Are God’s Four Purposes For Your Work?
- #225: The Insidious Gap Between What We Say and What We Do
- #209: You and I are on a Journey to God Knows Where!
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Have trials, difficulties, or pain shaped your true calling in life?
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Category: Personal Development | Purpose/Passion
I feel like my purpose unfurled in reverse. It was the nearly 30 years of policing (with all its hardships, shift work, violence, sadness, humor, and hope) that prepared me for the creative life of art and writing that I now enjoy. The rough edges of life seems to shape and burnish us. All the hardships and pain polish our character and wisdom, if we allow it.
I like your perspective, John. The rough edges of life shape us while the hardships polish! Well said!