History is full of call stories. Ever since Abraham was called by God to form a nation that sought after God, histories, peoples, and cultures have created a series of call stories to help us understand how we seek after our creator.
Moses had his burning bush.
David had his giant.
Jonah had his whale.
Jesus had the wilderness.
Those are a few ancient examples.
But the tradition continues.
Gandhi fought peacefully for a free India.
Martin Luther King waged war on the unjust Jim Crow laws.
Nelson Mandela overthrew the apartheid government of South Africa.
In each case, deep within these leaders, was a blossoming call story, a realization that they were called to accomplish something in their life.
C.A.L.L.
Often, we can overcomplicate the idea of a call story. We think they need to be grandiose and spectacular.
Maybe they are.
Or they might just feel that way to the person being called.
If you feel like you’re having trouble figuring out why you’re here, think through the C.A.L.L. acronym. Once you’re clear on these four points, you’re well on your way to living your call.
C – Cause
The first part of your C.A.L.L. is always about a cause.
It’s the why of your mission. The aspect of you as a unique creation that is urging you to make a difference in the world.
Michael Hyatt has said, “People lose their way when they lose their why.”
Your unique call story is no different. Find the cause of justice in the world that is burning so deep inside of you that it cannot be stopped.
One ancient prophet once said that his message was, “a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.”
“People lose their way when they lose their why.”
To find your C.A.L.L. you must first find that message of fire shut up in your bones.
A – Attitude
The second part of your C.A.L.L. is your attitude.
Far too many of us derail here. We may know our why but we then allow our circumstances to dictate how we feel about it.
Our goal was to make a difference in three years but it’s taken five (or more).
We thought we would have experienced freedom or transformation long before this moment in our life.
You will never get where you want to go if you always allow outside circumstances to dictate internal characteristics.
When your attitude is fixed on your destination, not on the circumstance, you’ll transform your life and increase your sphere of influence.
Instead of success, you’ll end up like the negative farmer. When it rains, the negative farmer complains that too much rain will wash away the soil and deplete the crops of necessary nutrients. When it stops raining, the negative farmer complains that too much sun will dry out the crop and kill off the harvest.
Don’t look at what is going wrong, but find ways to look at what is going right and create momentum in that direction.
When your attitude is fixed on your destination, not on the circumstance, you’ll transform your life and increase your sphere of influence.
L- Location
The third part of your C.A.L.L. is about a location. It is always at a particular time and place, for particular people.
Think the “longitude and latitude” metric. For Moses, it was Egypt. For Mandela, South Africa.
What is it for you?
Once you know the cause and have committed your attitude, identify the place where your message will reside.
For the homeless in your city?
Abandoned orphans from a country you visited on vacation?
Neglected retirees who have been forgotten by their family?
Whatever it is, the more specific you can be, the more action you can take.
Get clear on your cause.
Fix your attitude.
Reside in a location.
L – Legacy
Ultimately, a life well-lived and a call fully embraced outlives the person.
There’s a reason we resonate with the aforementioned heroes. We are inspired not only by their commitment to change the world, but their belief that we could do it too. Martin Luther King once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” His firm conviction was that each of us has a part to play in bettering the world.
He’s right.
Throughout history, men and women have listened to that voice inside of them urging them to be and do more for humanity.
Welcome to Episode 1 of the LeaderQuest Podcast. For a full recording, please visit the #NextSteps Coaching page on Youtube. This contains the full recording, plus video. Each channel gets different content and in the full content, Justin and his family try some exciting new foods!
In this episode, Justin gives an overview of his call story to help you understand him better and find your own.
I had gone into college thinking I was going to be a science major. However, I remember one night staring into the microscope around 2 am trying to determine leaf structure, that I realized I didn’t want to do it anymore.
For someone already struggling with their place in the world, this was the last straw. I remember sinking into a deep depression. I felt like my whole world had been taken away.
A new city with no friends.
A lifeless major.
No sports to ground my days as they did in high school.
Lost.
Alone.
Discover Your Call
Defeated.
Gambling with God
During this time, I began a deep dive into my place into the world. I started to study the Bible and see if it had something for me.
I head this small voice telling me to think about a career in ministry.
I had tons of excuses about why that was a terrible idea.
I can’t speak in public.
I’m afraid of crowds.
I’m shy
I don’t want to.
Yet in my desire to find my place, I kept reading. I kept studying. And I kept hearing that voice. Finally, I had had enough. In a fit of rage and the cockiness of a 19-year-old know-it-all, I threw my Bible against the wall, promising to read whatever passage it fell open to.
If you can convince me to go into ministry through this, I’ll do it.
I was willing to gamble with God.
I picked up my Bible where it lay, plopped down on my bed, and read. My Bible (*coincidentially?*) had fallen open to Exodus chapter four.
In this story, a man named Moses is being called by God to free the Israelites from slavery at the hand of the Egyptians. Moses didn’t want to. He fought God’s call. He questioned God’s sanity.
Moses said:
I can’t speak in public.
I’m afraid of crowds.
I’m shy
I don’t want to.
Moses expressed everything to God that I had.
That small voice returned and said, “If I can do something with him, surely I can do something with you.”
Discovering Your Call
Now, I’m not saying I’m the next Moses. I’m far from it.
I’m also not saying that your call has to be as dramatic or painful as mine. I sure hope it’s not.
But here is what I have learned in the almost fifteen years since that day: Everyone has a call.
Your unique experiences, gifts, passions, interests, skills, and background have made you truly unique in this world. There is no one like you and you are like no one else. The world needs you. It needs your voice. Your perspective. Your championing of issues close to your heart. The world needs you, in all of your glory, to embrace who God has made you be at your core and live fully alive.
Without you, this world is incomplete.
Discovering your call is about finding whatever it is that makes you come alive. It is about blending your God-given potential with your world-changing desire.
So listen to that voice. Pursue it. Be open to it. As crazy as your world-changing idea may sound, it echoes in your soul for a reason.
It’s time to answer your call.
We are in a series on calling here on the blog. If you have a story idea, question or topic you want to be covered, or if you’re ready to work with Justin please fill out the contact form below.
Recently I was on a trip and I loaded the destination into my phone’s GPS, and started driving.
I didn’t feel like I needed it at first since I know how to get out of my neighborhood. But it’s easier to do in the beginning than to plug it in while driving.
Through a series of short straightaways and quick turns, I soon found myself on the highway.
Stay on this road for 227 miles.
Staying on course means having discipline and eliminating distraction.
Immediately I had a knot in my stomach.
I knew it was a long trip. I knew how many hours it would take. I had even accounted for traffic times so I could make it as short as possible.
But there’s still something about seeing that number and the accompanying time frame that made me feel a tad frustrated.
Can you relate?
Why we need to practice staying on course.
Whether we like it or not, we all need to follow the advice to stay on course.
Trying a new startup venture? Stay the course.
Repairing a broken relationship? Stay the course.
Losing weight, changing your eating habits, or completing a degree? Stay the course.
Too often, we bail too quickly on our goals and never see real results. We hear the other dreaded word of a navigating GPS system: “Recalculating.” It means we’ve veered off course and need to get back on track.
Staying the course means eliminating distractions.
Staying the course means staying hyper-focused.
Staying the course means developing extreme discipline.
Staying the course means knowing what the end destination is, and refusing to stop before you get there.
Staying the course is not easy, but it is deeply rewarding. It is the only way to truly get to where you want to go in life.
The only way your side hustle becomes your main gig is by staying the course.
The only way you’ll have the body you dream of is staying the course in your diet.
The only way to have a thriving marriage, growing business, strong team, or financial success is by staying on course.
Your goals, dreams, visions, and plans for life are all at on the line. Don’t settle for anything less than reaching your final destination.
