Paul tells us that we’ve been “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we would walk in them.”(Ephesians 2:10) God has created and redeemed each one of us with an individual purpose in mind, often thought of as a personal calling.

We all share this inward tug as believers. So letting life move us forward without any real sense of direction can’t help but lead to a sense of confusion and frustration. “What am I doing for God? I just don’t know what my purpose is. Why can’t I be more like what’s-his-name over there?”

This is by no means an uncommon problem. In talking with others over the years, I’ve come to the conclusion that the majority of Christians find themselves stuck in the disappointing position of not understanding what God’s intent is for their life. I often sense it myself. And even those who have been used by God in some unique way sometimes share this frustration, since falling back into that familiar holding pattern is easy to do once a job is completed.

Apparently we can’t just lean back and rest on our laurels, since that merely serves to produce the same sense of dissatisfaction as if we’d never experienced the fulfillment of walking in God’s calling at all.