One of the things I struggle with pretty often is trying to figure out my calling in life. It seems pretty easy for me to look at other people’s lives and see their calling. It’s also pretty easy to look at peopled “called” into the ministry to identify and put some meat on their “calling.” Defining this term is very hard for me.

I went to law school for some selfish reasons. The main reason, believe it or not, was not for the money. I wanted to go to law school so that I would have the education and training I needed so that I could start a business on my own and not have to rely on a large company (or any size company for that matter) to take care of me. That kind of reliance was very risky to me. I was working with a very large engineering design and construction firm who was going through a downturn in the market and laying off hundreds of people from our office. That scared me and I didn’t want to live that life. I wanted freedom to work for myself. Well, I’m not really doing that now - in fact, I work for a small law firm; however, the business plan is ready and I could start my own practice at the drop of a hat if the bottom fell out of the business I am in right now. I guess that’s the freedom I was looking for.

I don’t feel like the broad generality of “practicing law” is a calling at all, and I don’t think that the areas of law that I practice in are my true calling either. I really don’t like one of my practice areas. But, practicing law does allow me to make a good living and earn money so that I can give back to my church and community. Is that a calling? While I am still working through determining what my calling is and how my day-to-day work contributes to it, I am keeping a few scriptures in mind.

The first is Ecclesiastes 9: 10, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” and Colossians 3: 23-25, “Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men”.

I know that I am right here right now for a reason, even if it doesn’t feel like a true extension of my calling. However, I am called to work with all of my heart because I am doing a work for the Lord.

In my opinion, it is extremely important that your work match up with your calling so that you can be totally fulfilled, and because it is important to worship God in all that you do. When you match up your calling with your job, you are able to worship through your work.