As I started to discern what to do after college, one of my mentors shared this quote with me from Christian author Frederick Buechner, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”
I asked myself, What truly makes me feel “deep gladness”? How does this align with the “world’s deep hunger”? What is happening around me, to people around me, to the larger society, and to creation? Which of those things am I passionate about? These were good guiding questions and I periodically revisit them to help determine if I am where I feel God is calling me to be, and if not, what needs to be shifted.
John 15:16 (CEB) says, “You didn’t choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you could go and produce fruit and so that your fruit could last. As a result, whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.”
God has given us gifts. We each have a unique set of gifts that can be used by God. God has appointed us, clergy and lay, to do God’s work for the transformation of the world.
Questions for continued reflection
- What are the gifts that God has given to you?
- How are you using these gifts to meet the world’s deep hunger?