Catalyst Track: Know Your Why // Day Four

This week’s track comes from Ken Costa’s book, Know Your Why.

Why am I here? It’s a question I’ve asked myself a thousand times in a thousand different ways.

It’s a question I’ve been asking and continue to ask of God. You see, at the heart of the Christian faith is a big, fat why. And that why takes the shape of a calling. A calling for us to be here, in this place and at this time. A calling for us to live out our faith and values in the rough-and- tumble of our everyday existence. A calling to engage with the world around us in the power and the light of Christ.

The difficulty is working out how to follow that call. This common calling that applies to every Christian in every age and in every walk of life—to make known the good news of Christ to every generation— is unchanged by circumstance or culture. 

So what does that look like practically, for each of us as individuals, in our own unique situations? What does the Great Commission have to say specifically to you and me at seven forty-five on a Monday morning, in a traffic jam or crammed into a commuter train, on the way back to work?

One of the great struggles of modern faith, I believe, is trying to work out what our common calling looks like in the here and now.

In this 4-day track, Ken Costa both encourages and challenges leaders in one of the most fundamental questions we can ask: why?

It can be a daunting question, and perhaps even elusive at times.  But it’s also one that both leaders and those they lead ask of themselves on a regular basis and the answers discovered can have profound impact not only in the lives of individuals, but on whole organizations as well. 

Take the next few days to not only explore your passions, gifts and skills that shape your why, but get back to the very root of it all – the gospel.

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DAY 4 – Letting Jesus Lead

Jesus’ words are powerful to change our lives. “What do you want?” is of vital, immediate, compelling importance. It’s not that the answer to the question becomes clear, but that the source of that answer is revealed. His question is not simply an inquiry but an offer. Jesus offers us the chance to join in a relationship with him through which we will find out what he is calling us to.

We cannot answer him from the pressure and stress of the working environment any more than the disciples could answer from the heat of the desert. A response requires time with Jesus. The disciples went off to hang out with him away from the feverish world of the crowds. We need to do the same, never more so than in our 24/7, “always on” world.

The key to making the best of your life, the key to discovering your calling, is to be with Jesus. As you stay with Jesus, you find out more about what he has in store for you. He knows your passions, your fears, and the deepest desires of your heart. Jesus knows who we are. But he also knows who we are becoming.

We do not need to answer Jesus immediately, but we do need to draw close to him. For as he shows us more about ourselves, we learn more about the powerful calling he has on our lives, callings that equip us to see a future where the best is yet to come.

CHALLENGE:

Take time to actively seek Jesus not only about your calling, but about the ways he wants to continue maturing you. Maybe you’ll take an upcoming weekend to take a break to fast and pray. Or perhaps  you’ll take an extra 5 minutes on your lunch break everyday next week pray about these things. Whenever it makes sense for you, when will it be?