CHASE THE CALLING

No matter how long you have been a believer, you have heard about the call of God on your life. I am a pretty free spirit (my friends call me a hippie), so I don’t tend to get very wrapped up in long term plans. However, thinking about the call God has for me has always been a huge burden on my heart. In 2014, my missions team went to Colombia, South America. I knew the minute I got off the plane that God was calling me to the mission field in a little town called Armenia, Colombia. I expected things to start moving really quickly - after all, isn’t that my calling? Isn’t that the plan He’s laid out for me?

However, things didn’t move like I expected them to at all. I graduated college in 2015, and since then I have battled disappointments from dating relationships, friendships and my job. I have struggled with depression. Instead of turning to God, I tried to cope with all of this by constantly hustling to my next goal. My calling that I felt like God had spoken to me so clearly on a tarmac in Armenia seemed to be nothing more than a memory.

Had God really called me to missions? This is what I spent most of my summer asking God. As my missions team prepared to return to Armenia for the first time in four years, I begged God to confirm what He wanted me to do. I asked Him to shut this door if it wasn’t for me. It hurt too much to sit in a place of confusion and uncertainty. No matter how much I prayed, I heard no answer. His silence felt deafening and overwhelming. Little did I know, the Lord had orchestrated a trip full of healing and confirmation for the things He called me to so long ago. While I’m still in Georgia currently, I have faith that He is lining things up for me to step into the calling I have dreamed of for so long. Not only do I have hope for what’s coming, but He has opened doors for me to serve in new ways at home that have refreshed my relationship with Him and restored my faith.

If you are worried about not knowing what your calling is or feel stuck and lost like I did, let me remind you of the basics. Pray (Paul says constantly, but I’m still working on that). Read your Bible (it’s full of people struggling with their callings - heard of Moses?). Serve in the local church. Whatever your calling is, find little steps to help you grow and serve the Kingdom where you’re at NOW. Your calling might not look like you expect it to look. Don’t be distracted, discouraged or overwhelmed. You are a child of the peace speaker and the King of Kings.