We use the word “calling” to refer to our destiny in life, our “sweet spot,” “our highest and best use.” I sometimes get notes, particularly from younger people, asking to talk about their calling. And I wonder if we are making too much of it?

I got an email from a fellow board member. He remarked on my work in putting together a conference schedule and told me that “I was in my true sweet spot,” in that kind of work.

I had to laugh. For anyone who knows me well, they’d not imagine that I’d sit still for more than 5 minutes and crank through the minute-by-minute schedule of an event plan.

But I did. I hated every minute of it. But it was my job. It was part of my assignment and it was a necessary part of fulfilling the bigger vision of the organization.

Now, to be honest, if I had to do that kind of work every day, I’d be toast. But every one of us can take on an assignment and crank through.

I’m afraid we’ve made too big a deal out of the idea of calling, as if it were something mystical. Perhaps instead it’s just the idea of being faithful with what is in front of us.

Calling vs. Assignment

Consider Jesus when it comes to “calling.” In John 5.30, he said, “I can do nothing by Myself, I judge only as I hear…I do not seek my own will, but the will of Him who sent me.” Even in John 12.49, Jesus said “I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it.”

Jesus had an assignment: to share God’s word with his disciples and the crowds, accompanied by miraculous signs, and then to ultimately lay down his life as a sacrifice. Talk about a tough assignment!

I’m convinced that’s how we ought to think about calling—it’s more about assignment. What’s your assignment? So often our assignment is staring us in the face.

It’s the job at hand, the spouse we’re married to, or the children we’ve been blessed with. As we faithfully fulfill those assignments, we see God at work and our “calling” becomes evident.

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Bill High

Bill is CEO & Founder of Vyne Legacy. He works with families to equip them with tools to build multigenerational legacies, and he teaches givers and financial advisers on transformational biblical generosity. He is the co-author with David Green of Giving It All Away and Getting It All Back Again: The Way of Living Generously.

Published August 28, 2020

Topics: Lessons with Bill

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