When God Calls: Embracing Your Purpose in Unexpected Places

Life has a peculiar way of revealing our purpose when we least expect it. Sometimes, the path to discovering what we're meant to do unfolds through experiences that shake us awake, moments that whisper to our souls in ways we cannot ignore.

The Awakening of Purpose

Imagine boarding a plane to a distant land, uncertain of what awaits but willing to step into the unknown. Picture yourself spending days working with children in Cape Town, South Africa—running baseball camps, sharing stories, and watching young faces light up with joy and hope. In those moments, something profound happens. A fire ignites within, a recognition that this is more than just a temporary experience. This is a glimpse into what could be.

That nudge in your spirit—that persistent whisper saying "this is what you were made for"—is often God's way of planting seeds of purpose in our hearts. These divine appointments aren't accidents. They're intentional moments where heaven touches earth, and we catch a vision of what our lives could become when aligned with our Creator's design.

The Shelf of Forgotten Dreams

Yet how often do we return from these mountaintop experiences only to place those dreams on a shelf? We come back to "real life," to responsibilities and expectations, to the practical demands of earning a degree or paying bills. The fire that once burned so brightly gets reduced to embers, not because the calling disappeared, but because the noise of everyday life drowns out that still, small voice.

This is one of the enemy's most effective strategies—not to extinguish our calling entirely, but simply to distract us from it. We convince ourselves that passion projects are hobbies, that true purpose must look like stability and predictability, that following a conventional path is the responsible choice.

We pursue degrees, apply for jobs that seem sensible, and wonder why nothing seems to fit. Application after application goes unanswered. Door after door remains closed. We begin to think, "Maybe this is just how it's going to be. Maybe I'll work in this lumber department forever."

The Wilderness of Waiting

There's a season many of us experience—a wilderness period where nothing makes sense. We've done everything "right." We've followed the prescribed formula for success. Yet we find ourselves in a place of confusion, working jobs that don't fulfill us, wondering if we somehow missed the mark.

This wilderness isn't punishment. It's preparation.

The Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years, not because God forgot about them, but because they needed to be shaped into the people who could inherit the promise. David tended sheep before he became king. Moses spent decades in Midian before returning to Egypt. Jesus himself spent forty days in the wilderness before beginning his ministry.

Sometimes God allows us to experience the frustration of closed doors so that when the right door opens, we'll recognize it. When every human effort fails, when our own plans crumble, we become desperate enough to truly listen for His voice.

The Unexpected Call

Then comes the phone call. The conversation we didn't see coming. The opportunity that seems to materialize out of nowhere, yet feels strangely familiar—like coming home to a place we've never been.

"We've been praying," they say. "And we felt God nudging our hearts toward you."

These moments are sacred. They're confirmations that God hasn't forgotten about that fire He placed in us years ago. He's been orchestrating circumstances, closing doors here and opening them there, all to position us exactly where He wants us.

The calling we thought we'd shelved? God never forgot about it. He was simply waiting for the right time, the right season, the right preparation to bring it to fruition.

Wrestling with the Call

But accepting a call from God is rarely simple. It requires us to release our own plans, to step away from security, to trust that the One who called us will also equip us. It means trading the predictable for the purposeful, the comfortable for the meaningful.

There's a reason Moses asked "Who am I?" when God called him to lead Israel out of Egypt. There's a reason Gideon needed multiple confirmations that God truly wanted to use him. There's a reason Jeremiah protested that he was too young.

A genuine call from God always feels bigger than we are. It should. If we could accomplish it in our own strength, we wouldn't need faith. If we felt completely qualified, we wouldn't need to depend on Him.

Blessed Be Your Name

Through every season—the mountaintop experiences, the wilderness wanderings, the closed doors, and the unexpected openings—one response remains appropriate: worship.

"Blessed be your name in the land that is plentiful, where streams of abundance flow. Blessed be your name when I'm found in the desert place, though I walk through the wilderness."

This is the heart posture that sustains us through every season. When God gives and when He takes away, when doors open and when they close, when the path is clear and when we cannot see two feet ahead—blessed be His name.

Our circumstances don't determine God's faithfulness. His character does. And His character never changes.

The Invitation

Perhaps you're reading this in your own wilderness season. Maybe you've shelved a dream, convinced yourself that the passion you once felt was naive or impractical. Maybe you're working a job that pays the bills but doesn't fulfill the purpose you know burns within you.

Consider this: What if God hasn't forgotten? What if He's been preparing you all along? What if those closed doors weren't rejections but redirections?

The God who placed that call on your life years ago is the same God who holds your future. He's not surprised by your current circumstances. He's not scrambling to figure out Plan B. He's been orchestrating Plan A all along.

Stay faithful in the small things. Keep your heart tender to His voice. Continue to worship Him in the wilderness. And when that phone rings, when that unexpected opportunity presents itself, when you feel that familiar nudge in your spirit—be ready to say yes.

Your calling isn't dead. It's just been dormant, waiting for the right season to spring to life. And when it does, you'll look back and see how every closed door, every frustration, every moment of waiting was actually God positioning you for the purpose He planned for you all along.

Blessed be His name.