Finding Our Calling

One of the big challenges of growing up for many people is deciding what they want to do for the rest of their lives. At least, that is what it seems to feel like when you reach that magical age of around eighteen when high school is wrapping up, and we are expected to make those big decisions that launch us onto fateful trajectories into adulthood. Do we start families, go to college, leave home, join the military, enter a trade school, take time to travel the countryside, build our own farm, launch a new business…?

The options feel endless, and the pressure to make the right decision can feel overwhelming.

As we move beyond this point in our lives, we realize we are not limited to just one window of opportunity to make such big decisions. This is especially true when our lives don’t fit the expected patterns we might have imagined earlier in our childhood. In this week’s scripture passage from the letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul encourages us to always be open to new opportunities. He challenges us to not be conformed to the expectations of the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we can discern God’s will for our lives. Following this advice can lead to personal revelations that send our lives in new directions which we may have never imagined. As we reflect on the message from Paul this week, we will consider how the Holy Spirit nudges us toward that special, unique calling that God has for each one of us.