Discover Your Calling Through Your Testimony
When it comes to discovering your calling, we often think of it as a sudden clarity that just comes from knowing. Very rarely do we consider it potentially could be something that unfolds in the quiet spaces of our testimony. Your calling isn't always found in the extraordinary. It's discovered when you stop and look back at what God has already brought you through.
When I consider my calling to serve, I can pinpoint the first time I felt a nudge toward ministry. I was nineteen, and I was active as a youth leader in my church. But, at such a young age, I recognized that I had not yet lived enough of my life to fulfill the calling I felt on my heart. Somehow, even then, I knew my testimony would be linked to my calling in some capacity...I just didn't know how.
As we go through hardships, we learn valuable skills and resources to help us navigate through them. The first question for you to consider is what are you doing with that knowledge? The second question is what does God ask you to do with the knowledge He has bestowed upon you through your testimony?
By not sharing your testimony with others, you are gatekeeping the very things God has gifted you with. While most of us like to keep our private matters private, there is power in sharing. You can share in a way that teaches others how to overcome an obstacle you've already conquered. Maybe you are still wondering how you can look back at your testimony and find your calling. The pain you endured, the lessons you learned, and the growth you never expected are the moments we want to draw from.
Ask yourself these questions:
- What have I overcome?
- What themes keep showing up in my life?
- What do others come to me for?
The next thing you want to do is look at the people you're drawn to help. Your heart is wired in a specific way for a specific reason. Do you know what the reason is?
Who do you find yourself wanting to encourage or support? Let's consider the empathy we have for others because of what we have been through similarly. God can use both your empathy and compassion for the good of His Kingdom.
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Think of a time when you took a small step of obedience. Did it open a door? Did it encourage someone? When we say yes to God, even in the little things, He multiplies the impact. To pull it all together, as you look back over your testimony, remember that discovering your calling isn't always quick. We often need to be refined by the hands of God, equipped with the tools needed to fulfill our calling, or healed in a way that prepares us to serve. Rest in the comfort of knowing God isn't in a hurry, even if you feel like you are.
Your story is the soil where your calling takes root through a seed firmly planted. Tenderly water the seed and be patient as it grows. Stay close to God, pay attention to the clues He's left in your life, and trust that He is faithful to reveal what's next.
With Grace, Shonda Ramsey