Calling, purpose, mission. God’s call for us has many names but it boils to one thing: Will we answer?
When God created the world, He put specific purpose on every creation – to every star, to nature, the rocks and their formation, the ecosystem and every living thing, along with nonliving things. Of course this includes us, human beings. God created each one of us with a purpose in mind and at His perfect time He calls us. When a creation is without purpose, it is meaningless. A waste.
What is God’s calling?
A calling from God is the process by which the Father draws (or calls) a person to Himself. It includes God opening a person’s mind to understand spiritual truth, and it is literally an invitation to salvation for that individual.
Life, Hope, and Truth
We see a lot of times that God called His people to salvation — from Abram’s family to Jesus dying on the cross for us. But sometimes, the characters mentioned in the Bible might seem a little too “far” from the people of today. (Although I 100% would say that we can still relate to every character in the Bible). So in this blog, I’ll share with you a millennial/gen z of this generation who found her way to accepting God’s calling for her life.
The Call
Sometimes, our calling is influenced by people we look up to (parents, amazing people, leaders) or people that touched us from a point in our lives. You’ll find that your traits, desires, background, and strengths will match the best to God’s call for you. Mine was volunteering, connecting with new people, cultivating communities, and going on adventures. So when God called me to do missions, I felt the burden of being selfless for people I’m not blood-related with (I used to be VERY selfish when I received the call and I believe I still am working on being selfless today) and the impossibility of being able to do what God requires of me to do (Spoiler: i am just the instrument, it’s God who will do the work). However, in my heart, I know that His calling for me makes sense. I love people and relationships. I love seeing people be healed, see hope, and become better. To top it all, I always love being outside. God called me to serve as a missionary when I was 17 years old. That young woman thought she was going to start missions when she turns 35 and already has a family and business that provides for her trips. How funnily wrong she was. God called me to step into my calling when I turned 24, 7 years after I received my calling. Single and with a business that heavily relies on GOD’s provision to acquire clients.
The Response
When you realize the true calling of God in our life and the moment that God calls us the moment we’re ready, you’ll experience a slow, ULTRA satisfying feeling of joy overtaking your whole soul, mind, and body. I remembered Moana, a Disney character, who was called by the ocean to restore the heart of Te Fiti. It was a slow burn, from her childhood until she couldn’t contain it any longer. I remember her singing “See the line where the sky meets the sea, it calls me | And no one knows, how far it goes | If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me | One day I’ll know how far I’ll go”. I remember Moana singing with determination, curiosity, a brave heart, and most importantly, a sense of joy. When I got the call of God to go, I leaped for joy and couldn’t believe that I was gonna start my calling 11 years earlier than expected! I think I jumped for joy for 5 mins until I couldn’t catch my breath anymore and worshiped God in my little study room from my old condo. After my quiet time with God, I called all the important people in my life regarding the call. I couldn’t wait to tell them.
I responded “Yes” to God, in my room. Again, in our week of fire. Again, when I doubted if it was His call. Again, when I almost didn’t want to go. Again, when I felt like my world got detached to me. Again, when I prayed and fast. And again, when He asked me to go as soon as I could. It was several yes’s before I booked the flight and stepped in faith.
The Process
Following God’s call is often a blur at the start. How could it not? His call takes us to a place we haven’t been before. As for me, I didn’t have any connections in the place He asked me to go. I didn’t know the language. I didn’t know the culture. And almost every detail of what His plans are. I know now that there’s a proper training and course in doing missions. But I felt like God really allowed me to go through those foolish yet zealous steps that I did: 1. Learned the basics of the language, 2. Applied to different mission agencies, 3. Applied to churches, 4. Planted seeds of prayers during my family trips, 5. Researched how to take my cat with me, 6. Researched about living there long term. I also did mention God’s call to me to our church pastor, but at that time, the call was so new and small for me that it didn’t really leave an impact on our pastor when I told him. (If I am to do it again, I would consult my pastor specifically on what I should do if God calls me to a mission instead of telling my pastor my vision, word, and dreams.)
Long story short, after several applications and inquiries, I was introduced to different people whom I hope I can meet face to face here in Japan and get further connections. We started a small prayer group to pray for my ministry here.
By the way, God’s specifically calling me to Tokyo, Japan. It didn’t make sense after the “joy” went down. I didn’t like Japanese people. My family lives in Osaka. That’s an 8-hour drive from Tokyo. And man, I am not rich while Tokyo is expensive. People there WORK hard. I barely work at all. It didn’t make sense. But when we follow our dreams, not every step has to make sense. Most of the time, the steps are blurry but they’re always firm.
In the next weeks, I will be meeting at least 4 people to connect me to partnership with Tokyo churches and needs. And after my trip here in Japan, I will be undergoing a lot of trainings to equip myself in being a successful missionary.
Blessing
This is the start of my call. Our pastor talked about “Top Line Blessing” and “Bottom Line Blessing” during our Week of Fire. The inspiration was from Genesis 12:1-3 when God blessed Abraham.
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
I know God blessed me to become a missionary here in Japan. I know that that blessing, God will use again to be a blessing in this country. To lead people to Him, decrease suicide rate, partner with schools and churches, and so much more that I wouldn’t be able to comprehend today yet. God did not call me to “just” be blessed and to receive the top line blessing. God called me to be generous, to share what I have — the life I have in me, to the Japanese people.
Conclusion
So to you, whatever God’s call is for your life, He will be with you every step of the way. God gives wisdom to all those who ask of Him. He has provided and prepared everything in advance for us to walk on. Pray and trust in Him. If you’re not yet sure what God’s call to you is, come along with me. You might know yours while following me in my journey to follow mine.
Author’s Note:
This is my first published blog. And moving forward, everyday, as long as I can, I will post my journery or daily devotion about God’s kindness and faithfulness in my journey in hopes that I can inspire you and teach you about His ways.
