We recently had a couple of missionaries for Thailand come and speak at our church. They shared all about the culture of Thailand, the work they were doing with sharing the Gospel and church planting, and also their story about being called to serve as a missionary. 

I’ve always been under some mysterious notion that God has this grand plan for my life and I will be called into some extraordinary adventure. Sometimes I wait patiently for his plan to unfold, sometimes I charge ahead with my own agenda. Either way I always feel slightly underwhelmed that God hasn’t “called” me to some far away land to help do his work in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20). Gosh, he hasn’t even “called” me to a different state. 

Do you ever feel this way? Like you keep waiting for your life to start? I’ve always felt this gigantic burden that I’m not listening closely enough to God’s call or that I’ve missed it, or even that I’m listening to myself while projecting it on him. I just don’t want to mess up. I don’t want to disappoint him. 

I don’t know why I continue to feel this way, it could be how the enemy gets at me best. Especially since I’m continually reminded that there isn’t necessarily some grand plan that every individual is “called” to, but rather that the Bible repeatedly reminds us of what God expects of us.

This recurring theme of serving others, kindness, loving your neighbor as yourself-this is exactly what we are called to do. In everything we do. It is our purpose.

We do not need God to call us individually to any great purpose because he has already called all of his children to the purpose of loving one another. All throughout the Bible the main theme of these great heroes like the Apostle Paul, or King David, or Joseph was that each person loved one another. They treated others with kindness. 

Think about the story of Joseph (Genesis 37-46). His brothers sold him into slavery, but even through his exile he was kind and treated others fairly. He excelled at every job he did, even in prison. And through all his hard times he kept God first in his life and served others before himself. Following this, God’s Purpose, he eventually became the right-hand man of Pharaoh. He was even kind to his brothers when they were all eventually reunited. Can you imagine being kind and serving the very people that sold you into slavery? 

This is exactly the kind of purpose God has in mind for all of us. 

I’m at a stage in my life right now where I don’t have some grand calling to be a missionary, or to train as a doctor and serve in a third world country. I don’t even have a full-time job right now. I say all this to encourage those of you who are like me and can get bogged down under the weight of waiting for your life’s purpose. It can be hard to live day after day thinking you’re merely existing and not necessarily walking in your purpose.

But you see, you are walking in your purpose when you show kindness to your coworkers. You are walking in your purpose when you decide to serve others as best you know how and loving them as yourself. You are walking in your purpose when you are working at a job that you might not like but are working your best at it and are a cheerful worker. You are walking in your purpose when you help the needy or encourage the downtrodden. You are walking in your purpose when you love one another.

It doesn’t matter our occupation, or current employment. Whatever our current situation is, remember to commit your work to God by showing kindness to others, loving your neighbor as yourself, and serving others with the gifts God has given us. 

This is our great purpose in life. This is the “call” God wants us to hear. 

“So the last will be first, and the first last.” Matthew 20:16 ESV