Written by: Dwayne Stinson and Rev. Jason Stanley
Often, when we speak of God’s call, we imagine Moses standing, awestruck, by the burning bush (Exodus 3), Samuel hearing God’s audible voice calling in the night (1 Samuel 3), or Mary’s visitation by an angel sharing that she would bear God’s child (Luke 1:26-38). We imagine dramatic signs and clear voices. Yet, at our baptism, we are called into ministry. The baptism liturgy affirms that we are incorporated into God’s new creation and Christ’s royal priesthood. The writer of 1 Peter reminds us that our role as a member of Christ’s royal priesthood is to “speak of the wonderful acts of the one who called you” (1 Peter 2:9, Common English Bible) God’s call comes out of our ongoing conversation with God through prayer and spiritual practices about how we can use our gifts to love and serve our neighbors and the world.
Sharing the story of our call is one way of testifying about God’s ongoing activity through the Holy Spirit in our lives. Our God is alive and active in the world, and part of God’s activity is calling us to come alongside what God is doing, to join God’s holy work. Sharing our call story is about sharing who God is, what God has done in our lives, and how God is continuing to shape us. Others can learn to frame their own experience of God by hearing our stories.
For many, it is uncomfortable to share a personal testimony, particularly if we feel it lacks the drama and clarity of Mary or Moses. However, much of the past two decades of research in spirituality–particularly among youth and young adults–highlights that young people lack the vocabulary to share about their own faith, because they rarely hear adults share theirs (See, for example, https://ministryleadership.org/content/the-power-of-testimony/).
So what does it take to share our call stories?
Remember that everyone’s call is different, based on your specific gifts, setting, stage of life, and the opportunities around you. There is no “right” way to share your call story. Rather than an outline of what an effective call story looks like, we offer some areas to consider as you reflect on your calling and how you might share it.
- Consider how you have experienced God’s guidance and direction as you discerned your call through prayer and spiritual practices. In what ways did God nudge you towards your call? For example, did you feel an urge in your heart or gut to take a new step? Were you responding to a sermon or devotional reflection you heard or read? Did you recognize that you were passionate about something and saw an opportunity to live into it, and it just “felt right.”
- Consider the ways that God has nudged you in the past to take a step. Often, the call we are living into right now is the result of a long history of steps God called us to take previously. These nudges provide moments of clarity of how God has been moving in our lives. What in your life experience as a Christian has shaped you and the direction your life has taken?
- As with Elizabeth’s role in Mary’s call, often there are outside voices that recognize gifts and calling even before we recognize it ourselves. Some speak of both the “inward call” we feel internally, and the “outward call” of those who notice and name our gifts and where they see opportunities for us to live them out. Who in your life has helped you see how God was gifting and calling you? Who in your life continues to support you in your call and in your continuing discernment?
- Look for ways your God-given spiritual gifts have allowed you to live into this call. What gifts do you have that prepared you to serve in this way?
- Frederick Buechner famously wrote that vocation (calling) is “the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet” (Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC, Harper & Rowe: 1975, 95). Often calling is not just about “the world” in the broadest sense, but about the world around you–your community and the people and experiences you connect with regularly. (There are, of course, people whose calling leads them to serve as missionaries in other countries or to move to another area to pursue their call faithfully). How do your passions and gifts intersect with the opportunities your community or larger context affords you to share them?
- Finally, recognize that God is constantly calling us to use our gifts and passions in new ways. What practices have you used or do you continue to use that help you continue to discern God’s will? For example, do you practice Ignatian Examen to see where God is at work in your days or weeks? Or do you pray regularly for God’s guidance? Do you use a journal to reflect on God’s call? Do you read scripture with an eye towards how God might be calling you?
The best time to share your faith is rarely the perfect moment. It’s the next one God puts in front of you. You don’t have to have it all figured out before you start, but working through the questions above can help you feel more ready. When that next moment comes, you’ll be glad you did.