Listen to Your Call
What does it look like to have a call? The first time I ever heard the term was in college. A young person finishing college and preparing to go to seminary was articulating their “Call to Ministry” to a group of people. And though I found this exciting and admirable, my mind began to wonder: “Do you have to be a pastor to have a Call?”
Over the years, I have learned that everyone has a Call. This is what the United Methodist principle “the priesthood of all believers” means. God calls people to ministry outside of the offices of the Church that are just as valid and worthy as a Call into ordained ministry.
“Do you have to be a pastor to have a Call?”
A Calling is a lifelong goal that God has equipped and sent us towards. A Call can have many forms and many applications but, through them all, the Spirit is engaged and supporting the application of our Call.
One misconception about a Call is that it is something to be found, like when I have to find my car keys. But I think that finding one’s call is more about listening than searching. In today’s passage, we see Paul explaining to the Christians in Corinth that the manifestation of the Spirit isn’t uniform. Our empowering God already bestowed gifts upon us when God breathed life into our dust, we just need to listen to ourselves to find it. God calls all of us to love and serve the world. The body of Christ is called to transform the world in Matthew 28 and what we do with our lives should reflect that.
God already bestowed gifts upon us when God breathed life into our dust, we just need to listen to ourselves to find it.
So live into the questions of discernment about a Call. Pray about what it is that you are gifted in and how that can be used for the glory of God. My prayer for you who are reading this is that you listen in order to find your call. Don’t let anyone one, or anything, keep you from what you believe God is calling you to do. If it is a journey that is Spirit filled, and moving you and others towards God, then I would label it a Call! Whether that is a fashion designer, coffee barista, or United Methodist pastor, believe that your gifts are from the Spirit. Find where your passion and the world’s need meet... and do that! My hope is that your call, like my own, will lead you on a journey into a journey; a journey of listening that will mold you into a servant of God’s people.
Questions for Reflection:
- What gifts do you have?
- What do you think those gifts are telling you about your Call?
