We all want to live lives of purpose. Deep down, we long to know that our years on this earth—however many we have—will actually matter. It’s a question we wrestle with in the quiet moments:
What is God’s call for my life? What is my purpose?
There are a million ways to approach that question, but maybe the simplest place to start is with what’s true for all of us. The Westminster Shorter Catechism puts it plainly:
“The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”
That’s our foundation. That’s our calling in its purest form. But beneath that universal purpose, there is yet another layer that pertains to you. As Paul writes in Ephesians 2:10, “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
We are characters in a story authored by God Himself—crafted with specific gifts, desires, and assignments.
So the question we are really asking is this: How does God’s calling express itself in my life?
Through years of trial and error, I’ve come to find the following three steps can help answer that question.
Step One: Surrender Your Life
It sounds simple, but few of us—even self-professing Christians—have actually taken this step. This is not just checking the “Christian” box on a census form, it means truly giving your life to God. Your hopes, your dreams, your calendar, your future. That prayer might sound something like:
“God, here is my life. Here are my wants, my dreams, my plans, everything. I’m pushing all the chips to the middle of the table. I’m officially on Team God. What do You want to do in me? What do You want to do through me? I am Yours.”
If you want to discover your calling, this is where it starts. Before God can lead you, you have to decide to actually follow Him.
Step Two: Follow the Momentum
Once you’ve prayed that prayer, start paying attention to what happens next.
God often reveals His direction through momentum—through new desires, opened doors, or even the closing of old ones. And that doesn’t mean life will suddenly be easy for you! Hardship will still come, but the hardship will be different. It will have a purpose that will reveal itself in time.
For me personally, I spent four seasons playing professional baseball for the Toronto Blue Jays and St. Louis Cardinals. I was constantly praying for success, praying for velocity on my fastball, and praying for wins.
For the most part, those prayers were prayed out of selfish ambition, which is why they often went unanswered. My prayers weren’t about God’s story; they were about mine. I wasn’t asking, “What have You prepared for me, God?” I was saying, “Here’s my plan, God—will You bless it?”
But when I finally surrendered my life, that changed.
Doors began to open in places I never expected. I had never dreamed of being an author or speaker, and here we are today, where I am doing both of those things in the service of Him.
So then, follow the momentum. Pay attention to the pull on your heart and the doors God opens. If you are truly surrendered to Him, you are no longer rowing the boat. You’re simply along for the ride.
Step Three: Have a Long-Term Perspective
If you’re asking, What is God’s call for my life?—you’ll need patience. Lots of it.
Because God’s timeline is rarely our own.
In the Bible, Joseph received a dream from God, and then had to wait thirteen years before it came true. Alternatively, the Israelites were promised deliverance from Egypt, and it took four hundred years for them to actually escape!
So yes, pray the prayer of surrender. Follow the momentum. But remember—this is a long story, and you are not the Author. The truth is, it takes time for us to develop our gifts. It takes time for relationships to form, for opportunities to align, for us to become the person capable of stewarding our calling. God is patient in the way only a perfect Author can be.
So when you don’t see results tomorrow, don’t lose heart! The waiting is not wasted. It is preparation for the good works God has prepared for you.
The Call That Never Changes
In the end, your calling is not a job title. It is not a platform, a paycheck, or a set of map coordinates. Your calling is a daily choice to glorify God and enjoy Him forever—to surrender your plans, follow His lead, and trust His timing.
You are God’s handiwork, and when you give Him your full devotion—heart, soul, mind, and strength—you will find what you were made for.
Blessings,
