In June 2014, I wrote a post about finding your calling in your 20s. A reader thoughtfully commented and said this:
This might sound depressing, but...I was obsessed with finding my dream job and passion in my mid-20s. Then someone once told me to forget about finding passion in my work. Do a job that allows me to do the things I'm passionate about OUTSIDE of work. Curiously enough, embracing this idea made me truly enjoy the job I was already in more. A job is just a job...it shouldn't define your life!
I have thought about her comment at least 50 times since I read it. Do I agree with this? I wondered countless times as I deliberated quitting my own job. It has taken me approximately 1,100 days to determine my response to her thoughts. Apparently, I didn't take her words lightly! :)
My answer is this: I respectfully disagree.
You see, I’ve been sitting with the idea, lately, that our lives were entrusted to us. God gave YOU your specific skills, talents and personality. He chose you to embody these things and wants you to use them. It wasn’t a mistake that He made you an amazing listener. It wasn’t an accident that He gave you an artistic eye. He had a plan for what you’d do with your skills while on Earth. Just take a moment to rest in that idea. It is so refreshing to me!
If you are sitting in a cubicle today, feeling like your soul is rotting and your talents are shriveling up, you aren't crazy. It gave me a ton of peace when I stopped trying to fight my natural inclinations and, instead, trust that they were God-given.
Wrestle with the idea: is this the life that was designed for you? Are you using your amazing skills? Do you feel alive? Do you even feel awake?
I spent a lot of years in these two camps:
Camp one: What the heck is my calling? What am I good at? What would I actually enjoy doing?
And then, once I answered those questions, which took a very, very long time:
Camp two: OK, now what the heck do I do with this?
I often wonder if it’s worse to have no idea what your calling is, or worse to know what it is, but feel stuck in your job. I’ve definitely experienced both! I know (trust me, I know), how frustrating it can be to feel this way. It can make you feel panicked, claustrophobic, moody, exhausted, annoyed…
By 10 a.m.
I just want to encourage you, today, to keep asking yourself the hard questions. Keep taking one step at a time to get to where you want to be. You may feel like you’re a million miles away from where you want to go. But, with each step you take toward your goal, you’re a little bit closer to it. Walk through those open doors, my friends.