Introduction

Time Needed: 30 minutes

Scripture Meditation
“I press on toward the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” --- Paul, Philippians 3:14

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should do them.” --- Paul, Ephesians 2:10

A Word With God
“God, I believe you have called me for a purpose and that You desire to show me that purpose so that I might discover meaning and joy as I join with You in Your mission in the world. Please help me to discover this calling and to see how it brings integration and purpose to my life.”

Teaching
There comes that moment in every person’s life when they ask themselves that simple question, “Why am I here?” Maybe it comes one day as you’re looking at the stars, or struggling to declare your major in college, or when you have kids of your own, or your new to the Christian life. We all ask it; it is one of the core questions of human existence.
It seems that our culture offers a few answers. If you believe the television commercials, we exist to consume. Another common one is that we exist to leave our children in a better position than we were growing up. Despite the prevalence of these offered answers, I think that most of us have this vague sense that we just can’t quite fully know our purpose. It is a disappointing realization, yet one that most people resign themselves to. Mitch Albom, the popular Detroit journalist, wrote a book called The Five People You Meet In Heaven. The book isn’t really about heaven, so much as it is about discovering our life’s purpose. He proposes that the five people you meet are those who desribe your life’s meaning and purpose to you. But this doesn’t happen until after you die. In thinking this way, Mr. Albom is like most in our society; you can’t know your life’s purpose until after it is over.
But what if it could be different? What if we could know our life’s purpose while we were still living it? How would that change things? We’d be less likely to wander through life aimlessly, full of nagging doubts and questions and a persistent sense of hopelessness. Knowing our purpose would fill us with a sense of joy and freedom and meaning. We’d belong.

Look again at the Scripture Meditation passages at the beginning of this session. Clearly, the Apostle Paul was aware of a sense of purpose. He wasn’t waiting until he died to have five people tell him why he lived – he already knew it now, for God had communicated it to him. Paul was aware of his purpose, his calling.

This assessment process is, ultimately, a tool designed to help you come to deeper understanding of your life’s calling, and then with that, to help you identify the spiritual gifts has given you, and the areas of ministry and service where you can use your gifts as you live out your calling. That is why we’re exploring your life experiences, the passions of your heart, and the spiritual gifts; and why you’ll most benefit by meeting with a leader in the church – to help you put it all together.

So how does this come together? Well, in the next session, we’ll explore a metaphor for the integration of calling, ministry and gifts, but for now, let's think of it like this: our calling is the umbrella which brings unity to our overall life and purpose. The various ministries (including our work, family and hobbies) flesh out (and fit under) our calling, and then our spiritual gifts and skills are the tools that enable us to carry out our ministries.

But why do we bother with any of this at all? Isn’t it a waste of time? Or a little personal? It is personal, but it isn’t a waste of time. Coming to greater discovery of our calling and gifts brings great rewards. First there is the sense of purpose that will pervade our day to day living. With this renewed sense of purpose and meaning comes great confidence and freedom. With a deeper sense of our calling, we’ll have the freedom to say no to those things which are distractions, and confidently say yes to those things that align with our calling. We’ll also come to a greater awareness of and understanding of ourselves and God, as we see how uniquely He crafted us. We’ll soak in the profound love God has for us until it comes to saturate our souls. Finally, and most importantly, living out our calling brings glory to God. God created us with a purpose in mind, as Paul says in Ephesians 2, and when we walk in that calling, we display, for the whole universe to see, how wonderful is our God.

So, as you travel through this assessment process, listen with your heart for what God is calling you to. See if you can discern how your various life activities (all of which are “ministry”) express or fit into this calling, and how your spiritual gifts and skills empower you for these areas of service. Each session in this book will close with an exercise. In this case, our exercise is a simple prayer. I love this prayer from the Book of Common Prayer. It begins with an acknowledgement of God’s love and provision. It asks for His protection and ongoing concern in our life. We need God. It closes with a desire to pursue God’s purposes for us. It begins with God and ends with calling. We who know God’s heart, and have been in God’s heart, are sent out from that heart into the world.

“Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought me in safety to this new day. Preserve me by your mighty power, I pray. Do not let me fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity, and in all I do direct me to your purposes for me in Christ Jesus. Amen.”