What Do You Feel Called To Do?
Your phone rings. You glance down at the screen and see that it’s a call that you’ve been dreading, or a call that you simply don’t have the energy to field. You make the decision, in that moment, to ignore the call. You move on with your day – out of sight, out of mind.
Some time passes, and you get another call. This one from someone entirely different – you pickup the phone, only to hear what you’d already purposely avoided – reality. Only this time, reality in its most punishing form.
In the most unfortunate of scenarios, you’re left wishing you’d had the wherewithal to pick up the first time around, struggling with the morality of your own decision making.
This is an ugly place to be, and I’ve been there.
Your “Calling”
We’ve all heard the phrase; “I believe I’ve found my calling.”
But – what does it mean, really? Can we say with absolute certainty? Sort of. It’s complicated. Such is life, right?
By its most pure definition – at least in this particular usage of the phrase – for one to find their “calling” is to discover what they were destined to become, or what they were made to accomplish in their lifetime.
I’m a firm believer in this – that every single human being is born to become something unique and wonderful and important in its own right. Whether that be someone who is brought into this world to become a preacher, or a professional athlete. Even someone who endures a life-altering tragedy only to use such an event to become a prolific and powerful public speaker – take for example Inky Johnson;
Johnson was a starting defensive back on the University of Tennessee football team in 2006. With a promising career in the sport ahead of him, all things were trending in the right direction when an unfortunate mid-game hit caused him serious injury, ultimately resulting in a paralyzed right arm.
After numerous failed surgical and rehabilitation attempts, it was concluded that Inky would never play another down of football.
Inky went on to receive his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Tennessee, with a newfound desire to utilize his less-than-ideal career outcome and the lessons learned within his times of turmoil to uplift others and add value to their lives.
Years later, Inky Johnson has done just that – transforming himself into an acclaimed speaker who impacts all corners of athletics, academia, the corporate world and beyond. As most would say, he found his calling.
What I believe to be most important about Inky’s story is that he lived the better majority of his adolescence and early adult years with a sound reassurance that he had found his calling – it was football – but it wasn’t.
This story is a profound reminder of the fragility of life as we know it, and the overall uncertainty of what life may have in store for us. At day’s end, we truly have not the slightest idea what lies ahead – what we may begin to feel called to – and you’d better hope you don’t miss it, whatever “it” may be.
Me
In a post of mine some time ago in which I did my best at an ode to fatherhood, I detailed how I, as a young boy, was certain that I was going to be an attorney when I grew up. Present day – I’m a 6th grade school teacher – quite the difference.
My own path to what I felt and continue to feel so called to – the world of academics – was not quite what one would call “traditional.” But, what does that matter, anyway? Truth be told – it doesn’t.
To rewind a bit:
As I grew closer to adulthood, and the time to decide on a post high school path had come, I had made up my mind – I was going to pursue a career in art. I loved to read, write and draw – and I had developed an infatuation with photoshop. Graphic Design was the route I was poised to embark upon.
In short, the next couple of years were a far cry from what I had envisioned. One thing led to the next, and I soon found myself in the School of Education at my University. Due to particular life-events, or possibly just by happenstance, I felt called to pursue a career in academia.
Years later – as we fast forward to present day – I am settled into said career. In retrospect, the calling was legitimate, and one that I’m certainly glad I acted upon.
Leaving a Call Unanswered
Let’s look back at the phone call scenario that I laid out at the very beginning of this rant I’ve been on. How exactly does that connect to a person’s “calling” in life? Allow me to make my best attempt at depicting the correlation.
In December of 2017, I was 18 years old, nearing the end of my first college semester. Among many other things controlling my life and mind at the time was a negative relationship with my father. For a number of reasons, I was resentful toward him. In reality, I had good reason to be, at the time. Said resentment caused, in turn, my ignoring of a great number of phone calls from him specifically. I was young, I was dumb, and most of all I was doing my best to escape the reality of my own situation. Again, out of sight, out of mind.
After months of this behavior, life as I’d known it came to a screeching halt. After dozens of attempts at ignoring the tangible and intangible issues in my life by way of ignoring phone call after phone call – I received a call altogether different. One that I didn’t ignore. One that brought the weight of my ignored reality crashing down overhead.
On the morning of December 2nd, 2017, I was informed that my dad was in the hospital, and that things looked far from promising. Later that day, he passed away.
In a moment of utter confusion and despair, I was left with one thought overshadowing all that circulated rapidly through my mind:
“I wish I’d picked up the phone.”
Heavy, but important. A lesson that continues to impact the decisions I make in this life of mine. A lesson that brought me back to pursuing something I’d once longed for. To utilize a calling I’d once had – to create, to write.
We’re born into this world with something to offer. A “calling” will, if it hasn’t already, present itself, and it’s up to you to act on it. It’s up to you (and you alone) to make good of the gifts you were provided. It may be hard, it may carry a weight that seems too much to carry – the reality of it all may scare you to your core. However, take it from me – answer the call – because, one day, the call will be gone.
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Forged in Fire 
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