Pursuing Calling

Calling refers to an inner drive that says, "I was made for this!" But what does it mean to be made for something? Calling is like a good stew with all the right ingredients. A good stew is tasty, fuels the body, and is satisfying. Likewise, embracing our calling can be useful, meaningful, fulfilling, unique, and enjoyable. The ingredients that form one's calling orbit around a sense of purpose, duty, meaning, and enjoyment. Calling resonates with your sense of self. Put all these ingredients in a pot, simmer, and you have an inner drive that says, "Yes, I am made for this!" Pursuing our calling is applying our duty and self-expression to God’s invitation to join His mission.

Two distinct lenses help us develop our view of calling: what is best for others and ourselves. Scholarship and the extant literature on calling also divide definitions into neoclassical and modern. A simplified understanding of the neoclassical view of calling defines calling in terms of duty or obligation. In contrast, the modern view defines calling primarily as self-expression. A growing body of scholarship also shows that a sense of purpose and self-expression promotes well-being, suggesting that calling, either other-focused or self-focused, promotes well-being.

Calling affects our daily lives, dictating our decisions, motivating our behaviors, and even getting us out of bed in the morning. The Bible helps us bridge the divided definitions of calling and view calling as both duty and self-expression. Paul speaks to calling as a duty, referring to the usefulness of himself and others in pursuit of God's mission (2 Timothy 4:11, Philemon 11). Paul also blurs the lines of duty and self-expression describing his calling in Acts 20:24: "But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.” Calling brings benefit to every aspect of our lives, and more so through a biblical view of calling as a duty to others and a unique expression of self (Ephesians 2:10).

Calling combines our sense of duty and purpose with our self-expression. Therefore, we need to seek God and understand ourselves to discover our calling. If we seek to discover our calling as only duty, we risk pursuing activity that disconnects us from ourselves, drawing us away from flourishing. Likewise, discovering our calling as only self-expression, focusing on passions, joys, and feelings, may risk disconnecting from others and our responsibilities. Paul expresses calling as a pursuit at the intersection of duty and self-expression.

Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. Therefore, let all of us who are mature think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you. (Philippians 3:12-15, CSB)

Pursuing our calling is an invitation to join God on His mission at the intersection of duty and self-expression. We discover our calling as we pursue serving others as unique expressions of God’s love.

1.     How would you define your calling? Which part of your definition leans toward duty and which leans toward self-expression?

2.    How does your calling show up in your daily rhythms?

Sources Referenced

Christian Standard Bible. (n.d.). CSB. Retrieved April 2, 2025, from https://csbible.com/

Dik, B. J., & Shimizu, A. B. (2019). Multiple meanings of calling: Next steps for studying an evolving eonstruct. Journal of Career Assessment, 27(2), 323–336. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072717748676

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Harvard Business Publishing. https://www.harvardbusiness.org/how-to-help-gen-z-early-career-professionals-navigate-their-careers/

Mendez, M. (2025, January 20). Navigating the needs of Gen Z: A guide for HR leaders. https://enrich.org/navigating-the-needs-of-gen-z-a-guide-for-hr-leaders/