"Vocation is something I can’t not do for reasons I can’t fully explain and don’t fully understand myself” (Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak).
That has been my favorite definition of vocation for many years. It has nurtured my mind to articulate calling; heart to pursue passion; and spirit to receive guidance from God.
My journey of trust has helped me understand calling as a sense that something bigger than me invites me to greater purpose; that risk and trust are required; and that saying yes will ultimately lead to a deeper understanding of God, self, and others. That gives me focus, but you should understand calling in your own unique way.
God calls us in different ways, gives us just enough understanding, and asks us to trust that we’ll know more as we commit to the journey. Not everyone will understand your journey of relationship with God and self. You’ll even have to work hard to make sense of it! Therefore, knowing what calling requires of you is entwined with what it means to you.
How broad or narrow is it? What areas of life are relevant? How have you been reached? What has touched you? Is your calling to faith, relationship, family, community, place, service, leadership, other?
I am called to help others with calling. Parker Palmer has helped me, and maybe others have helped you. But you must keep exploring calling in personal ways. More intimate relationships with mind, heart, and spirit can guide you. To follow where those lead, you may need help recognizing and accepting invitations.
Join others on Sept. 17 (or a subsequent date this year) to accept the invitation and explore your calling. Come for a time of creative listening, sharing, reflection, and engagement with calling. Come to trust your experiences, gifts, and desires. Come to honor your story, and how sharing it can empower you. Come to welcome how your sense of call might open you – and maybe others – to something greater.
For full information on the Listening for Calling Workshops, click here.