Are You Walking in Your Purpose?

I love the topic that my CFAN Colleague, Anil “Neil” Chacko, discussed last month, What Does The Bible Say About Work And Retirement?

He used the scripture Genesis 3:17, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”

Work was set up for us to do, since the beginning of time. God gave each of us a role to play.

Prior to the last few years, I never really thought of whether I was fulfilling my God-given purpose in the work I did.

Early in my career, when I started in the financial services industry,  I knew it was a prayer answered, as I had specifically asked God for a job with a particular work schedule. At the time of my request, it was only the schedule that mattered, and less about what I actually did – but thank God, He saw fit to provide work that would mold me for the assignment that would ultimately be my calling.

I listened to a book titled “Grit” by Angela Duckworth last year, and it talked about the differences between a job, a career and a calling. It was incredibly powerful as it made me realize that I was now walking in my calling.

Let me start by saying there is nothing wrong with any of these. As I have shared, I took a job because it seemed like a good opportunity and provided the schedule (and income) I needed. This job, over time, became the career that I would choose and one that also chose me. In the last few years, as I have sought God’s direction for my life, I now realize I am walking in my calling.

Dictionary.com defines a job as a piece of work, especially a specific task done as part of the routine of one’s occupation or for an agreed price.

“A career means you stay in the same type of work. A career can be one job or many jobs. You can work for one company or many companies. A career includes education, training, and work experience.”1

To be honest, at the time I got hired for my job as an intern in the wealth management space, I had no idea that it would lead to my career. While my undergraduate degree was in Accounting, my intention was not to switch over to Finance and Wealth Management. It was in the financial world, but a very different part of the world. And, I think God knew that this part of the world would be more meaningful to me and the clients that I get to serve.

Today, I believe that I am walking in my calling from God for what He wants me to do.

A calling is defined as “a strong urge toward a particular way of life or career, a vocation”.

I will share with you that it has not been an easy road. It’s been filled with twists and turns, bumps and bruises, and overcoming challenges each step of the way.

I want to go back to the blog post What Does The Bible Say About Work And Retirement? , Neil states “In the beginning, God created. He worked. He worked not because it was a necessary evil but because He enjoyed working and said that the product was “good”.” I never thought that I would ever be able to say I truly enjoy work in this capacity.

If you are in the valley of decision about the work that you are doing, and wondering if there is more to life than what you are currently doing, I would encourage you to seek God’s wisdom and ask for direction.

James 1:5 states “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

While we are waiting for God to bring clarity to our situation, we should keep doing the work that He had called us to before. Whatever our role is, we should aim to do that to the best of our ability. We never know who is paying attention, and we may never know the impact we are making. But, we can show up and be the best we know how to be, no matter the role that we are in.

Isaiah 30:21 states “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying “This is the way; walk in it.”

I pray that whether you're not currently working for an income, or working in a job, career, or calling that you would trust in the Lord and live courageously as you seek to live out His purpose for your life