“The Calling You Didn’t Choose: Why God’s Purpose May Surprise You”

Recognizing the Unexpected Call
I know now what I didn’t fully understand even last year, when I was putting together Conversations with ABBA: 30 Devotional Journals for a Relational Journey with God.  Back then, I didn’t call it a “calling.” I was simply following God’s leading. But in retrospect — and especially now — I see it more clearly: I was walking in a calling, even before I had the language for it.

Sometimes people think calling means choosing what you want to do for God — God, make me this. God, I want to do that. But the truest callings don’t start with us. They’re not curated or crafted — they are God-breathed. They unfold over time, often in the least expected ways.

True calling is God-initiated, not self-appointed.

Obedience Before Understanding
In 2008, God told me to go back to school. He told me I’d be leaving the corporate world and stepping into nonprofit and faith-based work. He even prepared me for the moment when I’d lose my job. In 2009, He guided me to start Girls Impacting Future Today (G.I.F.T.), and He gave me the structure for a mentorship program for middle school girls — a program that lasted three years in a public school where my own son attended.

At the time, I didn’t have the language for it. I just followed His voice.

Now, I realize that was the beginning of my calling.

Not a title. Not a role. Not a ministry I created. Just quiet obedience. Just step-by-step faith.

When God Whispers, Not Shouts
Sometimes, calling doesn’t show up with fireworks. Sometimes it comes in whispers, small nudges, and faithful yeses. You may not recognize it until years later when you look back and see God’s fingerprints over everything.

Like Paul on the road to Damascus. Or Joseph in prison. Or Esther in the palace. Their callings didn’t start in comfort — they started in process.

And maybe yours is unfolding now, too.

Key Moments in My Journey:

• 2008 – God tells me to leave corporate and go back to school.
• 2009—God gave me the outline to launch G.I.F.T. (Girls Impacting Future Today).
• 2016 – Hear God say to compile journal entries into a book.
• 2021–2022 – Realize these writings are meant to be a devotional.
• 2024–Present—Conversations with ABBA is born.

Personal Vulnerability: The Struggle Behind the Calling

I still remember the day I started in my seminary class in 2008 after saying yes to God’s instruction to return to school. I was unemployed, unsure of how I’d pay for the next semester, but I had such peace. It made no earthly sense, yet I felt held. It was in that stillness — between uncertainty and faith — that I began to see how God shapes purpose not in the spotlight but in the quiet places of trust.

That same peace showed up when I wrote my early morning journal entries, not knowing they’d become the foundation for Conversations with ABBA. At the time, I was just responding to the nudge of the Holy Spirit to wake up and write. That’s how most of this journey has been — not with blueprints, but with breadcrumbs. And God has never failed to meet me there.

What Is a Calling, Really?
In the Bible, calling isn’t just about preaching or platform — it’s about being set apart for something God-ordained. Sometimes it’s raising a child, starting a ministry, mentoring someone, or creating space for healing — like what God did through Moses, Esther, Paul, and yes, even you.

Calling isn’t always announced. Sometimes it’s uncovered.

As author Dawn Wilson beautifully explains:

“Believers discover their individual purposes as they seek God and study His Word, will, and ways… God may give certain abilities, giftings, or callings for particular events, such as with Joseph’s preparation to preserve people during a famine, or Esther’s purpose in rescuing her people — a calling ‘for such a time as this.’”
— From her article on Crosswalk.com

Practical Guide: Discovering Your Calling

4 Spiritual Practices for Calling Discernment

Reflective Listening Prayer

• Set aside 15–20 minutes of uninterrupted quiet time
• Begin with a simple prayer: “Lord, I’m listening. Speak to my heart.”
• Use a journal to record any thoughts, impressions, or Scriptures that come to mind
• Don’t rush to interpret—simply receive and reflect

Spiritual Gifting Exploration

• Take time to honestly assess your:
  • Natural talents
  • Passionate interests
  • Recurring opportunities to serve
• Ask trusted spiritual mentors: “Where do you see God’s gifts manifesting in my life?”
• Look for patterns of consistent effectiveness and joy in service

Confirmation Through Community

• Share your potential calling insights with 2–3 trusted spiritual advisors
• Request honest feedback about what they observe in your life
• Be open to both affirmation and gentle redirection
• Look for consistent themes in their observations

Incremental Obedience Mapping

• Break down potential calling into small, manageable steps
• Start with minimal commitment: volunteering, shadowing, initial research
• Document your journey and spiritual insights
• Remain flexible and open to God’s refinement of the vision

Practical Discernment Questions

• What activities make you lose track of time?
• When do you feel most alive and connected to God?
• Where do you see needs that simultaneously break your heart and ignite your passion?
• What recurring themes appear in your prayer life?

Warning Signs and Wisdom Markers

Not Your Calling Might Look Like:

• Constant exhaustion
• No sense of peace
• Feeling consistently forced or manipulated
• Action driven by guilt rather than joy

Calling Markers:

• Unexplainable peace
• Supernatural provision
• Alignment with Scripture
• Confirmation from godly counsel
• Incremental, sustainable growth

SCRIPTURE INSPIRATION:

• “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” — Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV)
• “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” — Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
• “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” — Psalm 37:23 (NLT)

A’s Love Notes—Reflection Questions:

1. Can you think of a time when you were being obedient but didn’t realize it was part of your calling?
2. What unexpected turns in your life might actually have been God setting you apart?
3. Have you been trying to define your purpose from your own plans — or are you allowing God to reveal it, step by step?

A Closing Prayer:
Father, thank You for leading me even when I didn’t understand where You were taking me. Help me trust You with the steps I don’t see yet. Open my heart to Your calling, even if it comes in unexpected ways. May my life reflect Your purpose, not just my plans. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Want to Keep the Conversation Going?
If this blog resonated with you, I invite you to experience more insight in Conversations with ABBA: 30 Devotional Journals for a Relational Journey with God. 🌿
This devotional journal is designed to deepen your intimacy with God, self, and others — through guided reflection, Scripture, and spirit-led prompts.

🛒 Click here to purchase your copy of Conversations with ABBA.

Ready to Go Deeper?
If you’re sensing God might be calling you into something new — but you’re unsure what that looks like — I invite you to join me inside the ABBA Moments Facebook group (private) or explore the blog archive at DivorceIsNotMyName.com/blog. You’re not walking this journey alone.