Confidence in Your Calling

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble. — 2 Peter 1:10

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. — Hebrews 11:1

Are you stuck trying to turn yourself into a pretzel doing things that you think you should do and not what makes your heart sing? It’s time to take the most of what you have and make something of it...

What truly puts you in a happy place? Let’s gather up your stories and stitch them together until the real you becomes as evident as paisley on a plaid background. Quit giving yourself away! Quit giving your talents, energy, and time to things that matter the least. Quit giving your talents, energy, and time to things that don’t come naturally to you. 

• It’s time to draw water from the well of your life and take a long, satisfying drink.

You don’t have to buy it, create it, look to someone else for it — your calling is already there inside of you. When you let go of all that busyness, you’ll feel relieved! When you figure it out, you’ll experience euphoria. These days we talk a great deal about not being able to remember things: Where did I put my keys? Why do I call my sons each other’s names when I’m fussing at them? How did I forget that fourth Zoom call of the day? But I’m asking you to focus now on remembering...

Again, and again we avoid the long thoughts. We cling to the present out of wariness of the past. And why not, after all? We get confused. We need to escape as often as we can. Unfortunately, the escape, while it lasts, is good but short lived. Soon, if we are not careful, we just live each day for the escape...

I’m asking you to reflect on how the moments of your life can inform your life going forward.

Your calling can be found in your youth, but it can be forgotten in the trauma of growing up. Your youth is when you dreamed with no limitation, no hesitation, but only with anticipation of what could be possible for your life. That’s when your calling was clear. Remember that?..

You’ve now collected the confidence to be who you are. Look around at the opportunities and then explore them. It’s not too late. You can do this right now. Just take one step. Then take another step.

• God has been prompting you toward your calling your whole life.

It’s not hard; we make it hard. You’ve been collecting confidence your whole life through the experiences you’ve lived. You’ve failed and gotten back up. Maybe you’ve been married twenty-plus years and you’re still together. Or you’re on the other side of the divorce you never thought you would get over. Maybe you’ve given birth and raised teenagers who are now the prodigal sons. Or you’ve been a caretaker of a family member who is dying of cancer, or maybe you’ve overcome cancer yourself. 

• You have the confidence inside of you, right now, to live the life of calling you were created for.

It’s not something you do; it’s something you’ve already done. You’ve done it countless times when you were just doing the thing that came naturally.

As we get older, things tend to fade, not to mention sag, wrinkle, get blurry, and take a different shape altogether. It’s time to dream in the vivid colors we did when we were young.

God is a God of dreams. He is invested in your enjoyment. (Why else would He make puppies, Twinkies, the “Add to Cart” button, and facials?) Y’all, we are allowed to have joy!

God doesn’t give up on us or our calling. He doesn’t change His mind.

God created us to be just who we are. Don’t let the screams of the world or the whispers of your failures and shame, shape your outlook. It’s time to speak faith, the language of God. Remember what Hebrews 11:1 says:

Faith is the substance [the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists and which has a tangible, solid presence] of things hoped for. (my paraphrase) 

What are the tangible things you are hoping for? When I was in the fifth grade, hope came to me easily...  

But as the years have passed, sometimes it’s been harder to exist just on hope. Sometimes I have to keep reminding myself that there’s more to this daily life than just the grind. I have to honor that ten-year-old in the school cafeteria who is still dreaming, creating, and singing inside of me. 

What makes your soul sing? Whatever it is, it may not pay a lot or be what the world says is prestigious. You may not win a trophy... for doing the thing that makes your soul sing. But when you get in tune with what makes you content and know, really know, who you are you’ll be filled with hope. Be open to seeing what this is for you.

Excerpted with permission from Collecting Confidence by Kim Gravel, copyright Kim Gravel.

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Your Turn

What is your calling? What gives you joy? What do other people tell you they see in you? God is a God of dreams! Dust off your dreams and spend time on that joy! ~ Devotionals Daily