Thoughts on Calling

What if we are wrong about calling in ministry? Or maybe not bad per se, but perhaps misguided. Misinterpreting what the biblical witness says about God's desire in calling.

Perhaps we have a narrow understanding influenced by the value of individualism in our culture. In the North American context, the value of individualism seeps into every aspect of our identity—culturally, mentally, and spiritually. This individualistic ideal often leads us to interpret "calling" as a unique and specific mission from God tailored solely to us. This narrow view contrasts with the broader biblical witness and may limit our understanding of calling within a community and collective context—a kingdom context.

We see this in our understanding of "calling" as something specific and unique God has called us to. As we discern our calling, it is often discussed through this lens of individualism using phrases like:

"What is the one thing God wants from me?"

"What is my unique purpose in life?"

"What is God's specific plan for my life?"

These are not bad questions in and of themselves, but we cannot stop with these questions. If we stop with those questions, our prophetic imagination becomes individualistic rather than communal, and it is much easier to manipulate and abuse the Word of God when it is not done communally. It is because of this that we have to take the questions a step further and ask:

What is mine to do in the context of God's kingdom?

At Herewithin, we look at calling through what scripture reveals as the nature and character of God, and in the creation narrative, we see the nature and character of God displayed through providing Adam and Eve a multitude of good trees to eat from that would nourish and sustain. Genesis 2:16-17:

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die."

When it comes to calling, we act as though God's nature and character are opposite. We operate as if God only gives us one good thing, and the rest is bad for us.

Because of this, we enter into callings, trying to find the one thing God wants from us, and are afraid to choose the "wrong" option, but that is not the nature and character of God.

If this is true, then we have to ask our questions about calling differently.

"What is the one thing God wants from me?" transforms into "How can I contribute to the flourishing of those around me?"

"What is my unique purpose in life?" goes further by asking, "How can I participate in God's collective mission of redemption, reconciliation, and restoration?"

"What is God's specific plan for my life?" gets reframed as "What opportunities match best for my passions, gifts, and burdens to be used to be part of God's broader work in the world?

Cole Arthur Riley, creator of Black Liturgies, discusses this idea of calling and develops our understanding further by highlighting that calling is a question of "Who is calling" not "What do I hear" (This Here Flesh, 43). This is a powerful tool as we reframe the concept of calling.

Let's look at the call of Isaiah. The book of Isaiah begins with 5 chapters of a vision from God to Isaiah. All of this happens before Isaiah is called and deployed as a prophet to the people.

What does this mean?

It means that Isaiah spent a considerable amount of time with who was calling him. He spent time communing with God before even considering the what of his calling.

To discern our calling, we must spend time with who is calling.

Now, let's look closer to the call of Isaiah. In Isaiah 6:8, we read:

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"

And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Whether or not I hear God's call depends upon the state of my ears, and what I hear depends upon my disposition.

God calls every follower of Christ. He calls them to a primary task of making disciples. Our discernment comes in when we ask God how we are supposed to join that through our secondary callings like:

Making disciples through being a schoolteacher.

Making disciples through pastoring a church.

Making disciples through faithfulness in the waterworks of a city.

Once we wrestle through our understanding of the nature and character of God, we can better discern what a calling is.

We understand that calling begins with who is calling before it gets to the what—or the expression of the calling.

As we develop this framework of calling, we recognize that our calling is a spiritual journey, and the spiritual journey is a journey toward the voice not the thing.

A journey toward the One who is calling, not toward the expression of the calling.

This allows us to stay flexible and adaptable.

This allows us to remain faithful even when life changes our what.

This allows us to stay in a continual relationship with the One because when we view calling through our North American lens of individualism, we can easily worship the what rather than the who.

We can easily find our identity in the what and forget to commune and find our strength in the who.

Whether or not we hear God's call depends on the openness of our ears.

What we hear depends on the posture of our heart, mind, and soul.

Many are called but few listen to who is calling.