I feel like I can’t say this enough…

”You were built to count as water is made to run downhill. You were placed in a specific context to count in ways that no one else does. That is your destiny.”   Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy

Whatever your destiny is, it has been “in” you since before you were born and forming in you ever since. “You were built” and “you were placed”. Unseen hands (I believe they were God’s) shaped a particular calling for you and then launched you into the world in hopes that you would pursue that internal yearning and contribute to world in transformative ways.

This is why you can’t ever be too young or too old to find and live into your calling. It’s a longing you’ll never shake.

This week I’m addressing the fourth of five common myths people believe about calling and destiny.

Myth one: My calling and career must be identical.

Myth two: My calling is ultimately about my fulfillment and happiness.

Myth three: When I discover my calling, I will have arrived.

Myth four: I’m too old (or too young) to find my calling.

Myth five: My calling is all about me at my best.

Here is a link to my blog page where you’ll find some thoughts on the first three myths.

How young can you be to actually live out your calling? Pretty darn young! How many times have you been impressed with a child or teen who expresses a burning desire to contribute to others in meaningful ways? It may not be fully formed or totally understood quite yet, since calling evolves and grows, but the passion is real!

I’m thinking of Grant Lewandowski. I met with him a handful of times when he was a high schooler, helping him make sense of the agitation he felt inside. His heart was moved by people on the margins of society, and he was resolute in his commitment to engage them with love and care. Clearly Grant, as a teenager, was exploring the call on his life. Flash forward to this very moment. Just a few weeks ago Grant, now a 20-something, flew to Ukraine to begin working with Wide Awake International.  He arrived just in time to help them evacuate and resettle. This is a young man fully engaged in his calling.

Can you ever be too old to respond to the destiny given you? Of course not, and honestly the older you get the more compelling can be your engagement with others. Seniors do not just have an abundance of experience and knowledge to draw upon but they also possess a wealth of pain and struggle. They get it. They know the feelings. They’ve been through the valley.

I’m thinking of Vivian Gross. Vivian approached me just months before her husband Chuck passed away, in hopes that I could direct her to discover her calling in this new stage of life she was about to enter. We had a rich time reviewing her life story, including all that she was facing during Chuck’s last days. We explored her personality, her unique gifting and her passions. It became clear that her greatest contribution in the final season of her life was going to be in mentoring younger women, especially those in her neighborhood. I so admired her as she looked to increase her sense of purpose even in her darkest days.

No, it’s never too early or too late to find your “why”.

Can I help you find it? Nothing would please me more than to help launch you into what you were meant for!

Let’s go! You were created to count!