What Does it Mean to be Called?

01/08/20 • 17 min

While many other books will give you tactics and tools to discover your calling, or to focus your vision, I want to start with The Call, by Os Guinness, because it gives us a solid foundation.

What is Calling?
A quick trip to the dictionary offers these definitions:

the act of a person or thing that calls.
a call or summons
a strong impulse or inclination
a convocation (like a meeting)

The origin of our word for the vocal meaning of “calling” has its origins in the Old English “hildecalla” which means “battle cry.” Calling also shares roots with the Latin word for “glory” - ”gloria” - and this is associated with the vocational meaning of calling.

The idea of calling and vocation is important to us because it affects our personal identity, humanness, and significance.

The main idea for The Call is that there is no calling without a Caller. As Guinness says, “If there is no Caller, there are no callings—only work.”

Here is how the Guinness defines Calling:

“Calling is the truth that God calls us to himself so decisively that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have is invested with a special devotion and dynamism lived out as a response to his summons and service.”

We are called by someone, to someone, and for someone. And that someone. The One who calls us is Christ. This is our primary calling. That which we see as a vocational or occupational calling - those things we do in response to the primary call, are the secondary callings.

Distortions of Calling

Guinness points out two distortions of calling, the “Catholic Distortion” which elevates the spiritual over the secular. Then there is the “Protestant distortion” which elevates secular over spiritual so that work becomes the thing we serve.

Then there is the term “vocational calling” which - remember our definitions - means “calling calling.” So what we mean by “vocational calling” is actually “occupation” or work, and before we know it we’ve separated that area of our lives from our primary calling.

Four Key Distinctions

The key to overcoming these distortions of calling, according to Guinness, is to balance giftedness with stewardship. How do we do that? He offers four areas where we must carefully watch the way in which we view calling:

the distinction between individual or particular calling and general or corporate calling
the distinction between a special calling and original or ordinary calling
the distinction between something being central to our calling and something being peripheral
the distinction between the clarity of calling and the mystery of calling

Invitation
Set aside some time over the next few days to sit alone and present yourself and your gifts, your talents and your tendencies to God.

There’s a song that says “Here’s my heart, Lord--speak what is true.” It makes a wonderful prayer.

Somewhere in that quiet place and in th

If you struggle to tell stories, you’ll struggle to raise funds.
In the Mission Writers course:

Learn the exact stories that every ministry, missionary, and nonprofit needs to tell.
Master the fundraising story calendar.
Develop and practice essential storytelling skills to increase funding for your mission.
Build your story library and your confidence.

Details at MissionWriters.org
Support the show

Mission Writers is an online course and group coaching experience where you’ll develop and practice essential storytelling skills to help increase funding for your mission. Get started now, for a year of coaching at over 60% off the regular price.

While many other books will give you tactics and tools to discover your calling, or to focus your vision, I want to start with The Call, by Os Guinness, because it gives us a solid foundation.

What is Calling?
A quick trip to the dictionary offers these definitions:

the act of a person or thing that calls.
a call or summons
a strong impulse or inclination
a convocation (like a meeting)

The idea of calling and vocation is important to us because it affects our personal identity, humanness, and significance.

The main idea for The Call is that there is no calling without a Caller. As Guinness says, “If there is no Caller, there are no callings—only work.”

Here is how the Guinness defines Calling:

Distortions of Calling

Four Key Distinctions

the distinction between individual or particular calling and general or corporate calling
the distinction between a special calling and original or ordinary calling
the distinction between something being central to our calling and something being peripheral
the distinction between the clarity of calling and the mystery of calling

Invitation
Set aside some time over the next few days to sit alone and present yourself and your gifts, your talents and your tendencies to God.

There’s a song that says “Here’s my heart, Lord--speak what is true.” It makes a wonderful prayer.

Somewhere in that quiet place and in th

If you struggle to tell stories, you’ll struggle to raise funds.
In the Mission Writers course:

Learn the exact stories that every ministry, missionary, and nonprofit needs to tell.
Master the fundraising story calendar.
Develop and practice essential storytelling skills to increase funding for your mission.
Build your story library and your confidence.

Details at MissionWriters.org
Support the show

Previous Episode

Changing Names and What's Next

The Your Voice Podcast is changing into the Life and Mission Podcast.

The overall mission of the show remains the same, only more focused and purposeful in how we help you to find your voice, tell your story, and change the world.

Head over to Lifeandmission.com and sign up for email updates. You'll get show notes, links to resources mentioned on the show, and additional content we don’t put on the pod. Totally free. Straight to your inbox once or twice a month.

You can expect a new show every other week, with a mixed format of interviews and solo programs. Topics include calling and purpose, and living life in pursuit of a greater purpose.
Along the way, we'll help you get focused on what truly matters, give you tips and tools to overcome challenges and get un-stuck, and show you ways to get your message out into the world.

Thank you so much for being here! If you know somebody who could benefit from this program, let ‘em know about it! This is the year to get focused, get moving, and make a difference!

If you struggle to tell stories, you’ll struggle to raise funds.
In the Mission Writers course:

Learn the exact stories that every ministry, missionary, and nonprofit needs to tell.
Master the fundraising story calendar.
Develop and practice essential storytelling skills to increase funding for your mission.
Build your story library and your confidence.

Details at MissionWriters.org
Support the show

Next Episode

Thrive Without Striving - Interview with Matt Ham

Matt Ham left a 10 year career in insurance sales to start YouPrint, a faith and personal development organization, and its nonprofit initiative called the Life Center. In this interview, Matt offers perspective on how we can thrive without striving.
[Matt 00:00:58] "Unfortunately we place our own understanding and expectations on how things should work out and it never works out that way. One of the greatest mistakes that we make is limiting God by our own understanding."
YouPrint is positioned as executive coaching, mentoring, community, and discipleship between Sundays. The philanthropic side of The Life Center is about removing obstacles, with the message "God loves you and he cares about you and he desires genuine relationship with you. And He created you for such a time as this. And we're here to walk with you."
"The Life Center is actually going to be a campus style facility where it will literally be a launch pad for entrepreneurial kingdom minded endeavors. It's a vision from the Lord that we are faithfully following out."
The Desires of Your Heart
God gives to you from His Spirit, and your heart is where those desires dwell. "It's like seeds of his genius that he planted in your heart. And you feel them or perceive them through your desires...He says, I will give you the desires of your heart in exchange for your will. You give me your will. And I will give you the desires of your heart. That's it. That's the offer. That's the offer of faith. Delight yourself in the Lord. What does that mean? That means surrender your will. Yield to him. Trust in him. Abide in him. You know, it's all throughout scripture. Who did this the best? Jesus."
"What are you busy with doing in your life? Are you busy with protecting and building your own reputation, or are you more concerned and busy with living underneath the reputation of God and his provision and his literal desires to give you the desires of your heart so that you can change the world for his glory? That's why we do what we do."
Investing in People
"People are the best investment that you can make. Period. Investing in people is the best investment that you can make." Just as Jesus encountered each person in a different way, so must we. What are the gifts God has placed inside that person? Can we see the potential and not just the circumstance?
Being the Church
"The church is the body of believers. That is not confined to Sundays. It's not confined to buildings." That includes entrepreneurism. God has called people into business and into all kinds of roles in society. "We need a people who are infused into those cultures and become literally evangelists in those pockets...God will clarify the call as you yield and surrender to him...The process of discipleship is to get people to that place because that is the most effective way to spread the kingdom."
But How?
Matt says we come to that place of knowing who we really are, and fulfilling our purpose starts with a post

If you struggle to tell stories, you’ll struggle to raise funds.
In the Mission Writers course:

Learn the exact stories that every ministry, missionary, and nonprofit needs to tell.
Master the fundraising story calendar.
Develop and practice essential storytelling skills to increase funding for your mission.
Build your story library and your confidence.

Details at MissionWriters.org
Support the show