Work, work, work - that's all I ever do at this job!

Our sermon this past Sunday was about how we view work. We had a substitute speaker, as our pastor is down in the Amazonian rain forest right now, and this guy happens to own a construction company. Construction is something he loves to do and he feels it's what God has called him to do.

I led our young adults discussion group after the sermon and one of the questions I asked was, "What kind of work do you think God has called you to do? If you're not doing it, why not?" The most common answer I got from people is that they don't know what kind of work they're supposed to be doing. It sparked a question in me of: how do we know what God has called us to?

It doesn't necessarily have to be something we enjoy doing. Moses would have much rather remained a shepherd than lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. Solomon was stressed out about the responsibility that came with being a king. Jonah tried running away from his calling. Even Jesus prayed that God had another way.

It doesn't have to be something we're naturally gifted at, either. To use Moses again, he was rather cowardly when God first called him and also admitted to being a stammerer and not the kind of man people would naturally follow. Though the Bible doesn't say this specifically, I can't imagine the Egyptians trained the Israelites in warfare or let them train themselves, yet they won every battle in which they sought God first.

It doesn't have anything to do with our current position, either. David was a humble shepherd. Gideon was the least of his father's house in the least family of Israel. Matthew was a tax collector and Peter was a fisherman.

In the movie Evan Almighty, God calls Evan to build an ark. At one point, Evan is complaining about it and tells God this doesn't fit into his plans. God just laughs at him. It wasn't a mean laugh, but He was almost doubled over laughing. The point is that our plans don't matter. Compared to His plans, what are our plans? Compared to eternity, what are our strategies for improving our tomorrows? Do you think it was in Abraham's plan to sacrifice Isaac?

At another part in the movie, a reporter sneeringly asks Evan, "What makes you think God called you?" One of my favorite parts of the movie is Evan's response, "He's called all of us."

This point is more or less echoed in the Bible, "Many are called, but few are chosen." Also, the Bible talks about all the various callings and how our callings cannot be the same, nor should we be jealous of others whom we think have "higher" callings.

In short, we all have a calling and it doesn't depend on what we like to do, are good at doing, are currently doing, or what our resources currently are. Where does that leave us as far as learning God's will, much less accomplishing it?

If you don't know your calling, it seems there are two likely situations: 1. you haven't actually asked, or 2. you're where God wants you to be right now. For the first one, God says, "Ask and you shall receive; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." Also, "He who lacks wisdom, let him ask for it of God, who gives unto all men liberally." If you do not know God's will in your life, but get the feeling that where you are isn't it, ask and believe that He will answer you.

If you have asked and believed, yet have gotten no answer, you may also be where God needs you to be. Moses was a shepherd for 40 years before God spoke to him. Jesus was a carpenter from the time he was 13 until he turned 30. Abraham wasn't a father at all, let alone of many nations, until he was over 100.

Either way, it boils down to one question: how much are you willing to trust your life to God? Your calling, whatever it is, will serve two purposes: to draw you closer to God and to love others and, by so doing, point them to God. It won't always be easy or fun, but if you will trust in Him, you will accomplish His will for your life, even if you never know what that purpose is.