Are calling and destiny just overhyped buzzwords we grew up with in church?

Lizzy L | 2 min read

How many of us grew up in church being sold the idea that we were going to do life-changing and earth-shaking exploits for God? That destiny and calling came with a great amount of swag, street cred, and enough salvations and healing miracles to make Christianity cool again?

And how many of us have since grown up into young adults, exhausted office workers, struggling parents who would rather zone out and Netflix than read the Bible? Or play one more round of whatever mobile game last caught our attention than reach out to ask a friend how they’re doing.

We tend to fall into either category: going about our daily lives, believing that we’re going to change the world—“All I need is the right person to notice how brilliant and anointed I am, any day now.”

Or maybe you’re on the other side of the fence where you’ve given up and concluded that you were sold false marketing—10/10 would not recommend, 1-star Amazon review. Let’s just go back to paying our mortgages and supporting a young family. Who’s got time for calling and destiny?

By now, you must be thinking that this is a disillusioned cynic’s rant on the overhyped youth ministry dream, ten years later. But stay with me.

Yes, like many of my peers, the grind of daily life often looks vastly different from what we’ve been sold from the platform.

And yes, some of our peers do end up becoming very visible church leaders or platform preachers. But there’s less of them and more of us. So, what happens to the rest of us who don’t become pastors or platform people—the ones whose lives are visibly celebrated for “making a difference”?

I guess my question to you today is: Who told you impact and success had to be measured by visibility?

When did you start believing that you only step into your calling and destiny when you get to stand on a stage and preach to innumerable crowds? Or when you gain enough followers to call yourself a social media influencer?

We are so enamored by the idea of reaching everyone, that we forget that reaching the world starts with ONE.

Why do we measure success by how big a crowd we can draw, when we ourselves want to be the ONE that God draws to in a crowd?

Are calling and destiny found only in the grandeur of large platforms, or in the quiet moments you have with different ONES in your life?

And if your platform starts with the seemingly mundane and normal things in life, why should that be any less?

Your marriage, the decisions you make every day that your children are watching, the conduct and honor with which you bring to your workplace, finally meeting that one friend whom the Lord keeps placing on your heart, stopping to be kind to a stranger who looks like they’re having a rough day—simply living with a sense of the largeness of God’s generosity and love. Knowing that by His supply, you can extend love to others too. Is this calling any lesser?

I challenge you to redefine what calling and destiny look like for yourself today. We have countless opportunities to reach others, ONE life at a time.

And who knows, it doesn’t mean your calling and destiny will always remain the same in different seasons.

But the path to greatness starts with what’s in your hands, today, right now. Who’s in your world, today, right now.

May we never despise and consider that any less great than the glamor of a stage or a platform that reaches thousands.

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