“God placed His calling on my heart to be a Minister/Pastor/Sunday School Teacher.”
“Writing or Speaking is God’s calling on my life.”
“God has called me to go on a mission.”
All valuable statements. All truths in someone’s life. But…
But what if the calling on your life isn’t a “traditional” Christian role? What if that calling has nothing to do with what most would see as a typical Christian position? Does that make it less valuable? Does it make it less God honoring?
I know this gorgeous gal, Chaunte Myers, who is absolutely in love with the Lord. The calling on her life, and that of her family’s lives, has been to establish a non-profit organization that assists military members, veterans, and their spouses with transitioning into civilian jobs. It would become a delicate balance to walk because of dealing with government agencies that do not overtly discuss religious views.
1 Peter 4:10 (NIV) states that each of us“…should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
Nearly a decade ago, this family of seven veterans followed God’s urging and created Centurion Military Alliance (CMA).
Is this a traditional “positional” calling from God? Most would say no.
Why? Probably because we’ve conditioned ourselves to think that a worthy calling on a Christian’s life is narrowly confined to leadership roles in the church, such as Pastor, worship band, small group leader, etc.
Perhaps it’s time to re-define what we believe is a “calling” on our lives. I would contend that anytime God calls you to do something…anything…that is a calling on your life.
How do you know that you have a God-ordained calling on your life? It’s because the work you are doing touches people. It changes them for the better. It robs you of your sleep as you pray and collaborate on how to impact lives.
CMA is able to do that. They touch lives in a ton of different ways.
Tangibly, they assist veterans with building robust LinkedIn profiles, practicing elevator speeches, and crafting military lingo into civilian verbiage on master resumes. They create space where military members are able to become gainfully employed civilians.
Intangibly, they touch lives through living a Christ-like lifestyle. This may be one of the few times a military member is able to see a family functioning together for the pure joy of fulfilling God’s calling. It may be the first time military members are seeing someone help them without expectations of return. It may be the first time that individuals are able to witness God’s love without feeling condemnation.
God’s calling doesn’t have to be to a traditional Christian platform. God’s calling is simply used to touch people. It influences the basic human needs, as well as the heart. It answers the question of how God shows up in people’s lives.
The members who attend a CMA workshop will see how God has shown up in Chaunte’s life. They will see how He’s showing up in their lives, through her example. They may not see it immediately, but it’s there.
The sleepless nights thinking about drafting grants or dispositions, using the traveling points to go to the next location, missing the events of the littles, and praying through development and delivery of curriculum…all of it worth it…if it touches one person’s life.
Romans 8:30 reassures us of our calling, “And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.”
In the end, doesn’t that mean that every single calling on one’s life is a ministry?
What’s the calling on your life?
~Emily
This is my shameless plug for Centurion Military Alliance. If you know anyone with a military connection that needs transition assistance, please have them contact CMA…they love to connect the military member with the next chapter of their employment!
Iron Porch 