Do you know what you were born to do? If someone asked you, “What is the work that God has gifted you to do?”, could you answer right away or would you stare blankly back at them and think to yourself, “That is a really good question!”

I know there was a time in my life when I certainly had no REAL idea of what it was that God gifted me for. If you would have asked me in my teens, I would have said that I wanted to be a baseball player. Now God did give me some baseball talent–but not enough to make a living playing baseball! As an adult looking back, I realize it is important that your calling be based on reality! “Ok, so I am not going to be a baseball player so now what?”, was my thinking as I entered my second year of college. I went to my first college based on 3 reasons (I could play baseball there, my older brother was starting a job there, and it was cheap). Notice none of those reasons were going to actually help me make a living when I graduated! I didn’t know my calling at that time of my life. My grades were horrible because I didn’t really care about any of the classes. I was just starting to come to one realization that would help shape my calling–I knew I wanted to teach!

This was a problem because the college I was attending didn’t have education as a major. So, I transferred to a university that did have education. There I did better in the education classes but still was not enjoying my other classes. I still didn’t see the purpose of these classes. My grades reflected my nonchalant attitude. After two years there, I had my second realization that would shape my calling–I knew I wanted to teach middle school students (Yes, there are actually a few of us that enjoy this age group)! The only problem was that the university I was at didn’t have a middle school major and it was crushingly expensive!

So, I transferred again (yes, that’s right)! Now I was in a school that had my passion as a major. My grades in education were excellent–but I still didn’t care about those gen ed classes so I still had horrible grades in those. Until I had my third realization that would help shape my calling–I knew I wanted to marry Laura! Now, being a wise woman–she said yes, BUT said we weren’t getting married until I graduated from college. NOW I had the motivation and drive I needed to be successful in ALL of my classes. My last two years of college, I was a new man–a man who actually was getting A’s!

The point of this story is to show the importance of knowing our call and having a passion for our calling. Too many people wander through life not living for what they were meant to do. Once I had those three realizations in my life (wanting to teach, wanting to teach middle schoolers, getting married to Laura) I was a man who had a purpose in life and had goals. My wanderings were over.

Next week, I will talk more about evaluating how you know you are “doing what you were born for” but for this week I challenge you to pray and meditate on 2 Peter 1:10, “Therefore my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election.”

More to come,
Jeremy