Discerning a Call

Last night at our student service, 633, we heard from two of our missionaries, one from Ireland and one from Ecuador.

Both had many great things to say, but what stuck out to me was their advice on discerning a call. Whether you’re considering missions, marriage, college, or a new job, the skill of discernment proves vital. And I think their advice could apply to any of these situations.

To discern a call, they advised…

Search Now. Explore your desires and potential calling. Talk to your leaders. Talk to friends. Attend trips. Read about the topic. Pray. In other words, discerning a call will take some research and leg work. You probably won’t receive a special word of revelation while just thinking about your decision. Maybe. But probably not. You will need to get out and knock on doors and see how the Lord moves your heart and provides a way.

Serve Now. I really appreciated this bit of advice. We often forget this necessity. Whatever may be stirring in our hearts can often be at least partially acted on and fulfilled in our current context. We should attempt to serve in the future capacity now. For example, if you’re hoping to make disciples on the mission field, begin making disciples at home. If you’re hoping to pursue another degree, study and write now. God will use your current efforts to train and equip you for the next step. Plus, it looks better on your application if you’re already practicing what you’re applying to do.