The start of a new year brings New Year’s resolutions. According to an article I just read, the top 5 resolutions are:
- Exercise more,
- Lose weight,
- Get organized,
- Learn a new skill or hobby, and
- Live life to the fullest.
It seems to me the top four are all an aspect of number five, “live life to the fullest.”
For us, as Christians, living life to the fullest takes on a slightly different meaning than simply losing weight or taking up a new hobby. For Christians, living life to the fullest means fulfilling God’s calling in our lives.
The problem is, most of us think of our calling as some masterpiece we must create, as we tell ourselves, “If it is to be, it is up to me!”
And that’s where we get in trouble. We tell God what our calling is, and then we try to make a life to fulfill that calling. We push and push, working hard to fulfill our purpose, all with little to no avail. Frustrated, we resolve to create another, new, better life purpose and do just that.
But our calling is not something we create. God created a unique purpose for our lives before the beginning of time. His purpose is designed with our specific skills and talents in mind.
So, our purpose is not something we create; it is a gift from God we simply need to receive!
To understand our God-ordained purpose, we must unwrap the gift.
Unwrapping the Real You
To understand God’s gift of our unique purpose in life, we begin by unwrapping the real you. We think we know ourselves well, so we think we know what is best for us. But the Bible warns, “whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool” (Proverbs 28:26). That’s why any purpose we create for ourselves is bound to fall short of God’s purpose for us.
The Proverb continues, “But he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.” When we seek God’s wisdom through the power of the Holy Spirit, He will reveal our true selves and His calling in our life.
In their book, You on Purpose, authors Stephanie Shackleford and Bill Denzel suggest that God uses our passions, propensities, and pains to reveal our true selves and unwrap God’s calling on our lives.
Passions
Often, we try to define our calling, starting with what we are passionate about. Our passions are what we love to do, like reading, cooking, or business.
For example, I love to write, cook, and do business. Does that mean God’s calling in my life is to start a restaurant and publish the cookbooks I write? Maybe. But not necessarily.
To unwrap God’s calling in our life, we need to look deeper, past the surface-level desires to the deeper passions of our hearts. What captures my attention? What can I stay up all night learning about or talking about? What passions of my heart have a deeper meaning and higher purpose?
The Psalms tell us to “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires” (Psalm 37:4).
Our hearts’ deeper, inner desires express God’s purpose, His calling on our lives.
Propensities
Our propensities are our innate traits imbued in us by God. They include things like our personality traits, our strengths and weaknesses, what motivates us, and even our preferences and interests.
These propensities combine, creating a unique combination of abilities, needs, values, and interests.
For example, I am a curious person. I love to learn about the people I meet. What makes them tick, what excites them, where they are from, what’s their story? That curiosity about people helped me in both my sales and marketing careers. I loved talking to people and getting to know what they liked or disliked. That information, in turn, helped create tailored sales presentations and develop marketing messages that resonated with potential customers and clients.
Pain
Our passions and propensities are not the only ways to discover God’s calling in our life. Sometimes, our calling is revealed through our pains.
Pain that reveals our calling comes in many forms. It may be physical, emotional, financial, or even vocational.
For example, referring to Paul, God said, “This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name” (Acts 9:15-16).
God announced Paul’s calling and told him that his calling would include trials and suffering.
And that is precisely what happened. In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul recounts the suffering he endured while carrying out his calling of preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles. He was thrown in prison, flogged five times, beaten with rods three times, stoned, and shipwrecked three times.
How many of us would sign up for a life calling that included suffering, like what Paul endured throughout his ministry?
From Passion, Propensities, and Pain to Purpose
If one of your resolutions is to live your life to the fullest, then as a Christian, you need to live your life fulfilling God’s unique calling.
Start with your passions. What do you care deeply about? What skills and talents do you have that match your passions?
Now dig deeper and consider your propensities, those innate personality traits that make you, you. How do they equip you to fulfill your calling?
And finally, what pains, trials, and tribulations have shaped you and equipped you for God’s calling in your life?
Prayerfully consider how those unique passions, propensities, and pains have equipped and shaped you for God’s unique calling in your life.
Let’s stop telling God our life purpose and unwrap the gift of God’s unique purpose, our calling, that He has specifically ordained and equipped us to complete.
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.
- #459: Should I Try to Pursue God’s Calling in A World Spinning out of Control?
- #458: Is Your Purpose Revealed in Your Pain Rather Than Your Passion?
- #446: Do You Labor in Vain or For the Glory of God?
- #269: What Strategy Do You Need to Finish Well?
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Are you confident you have identified God’s unique calling in your life? If so, are you actively working to fulfill it?
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Category: Personal Development | Purpose/Passion
I like this notion of “unwrapping the real you.” We tend to think about our passions and propensities as just who we are, instead of considering them to be part of God’s plan. When viewed through faith, they take on more import. If God intended for me to be an artist and writer, then I need to take that seriously, work my best to honor those gifts and how they can help others, and never forget the divine source. Great insight, Ron, thanks.
Thanks, John! For many years, I was guilty of trying to build a life the way I wanted without much regard for God’s plan for my life. When I finally submitted by unwrapping God’s plan and living that life, life got a lot better!