Can Your Calling and Career Coexist?
I can still picture the scene. I was sitting at my old desktop computer (this was before laptops were really a thing), hustling to meet a deadline while my kids played in the next room, separated only by a knee wall. I remember thinking, “I’d love to be Beth Moore… because her ministry is her work, and her work is her ministry. Keep it easy.”
At the time, my life was packed full. I was running a successful marriage ministry with my husband and another couple at our church, homeschooling three little ones, and married to the most handsome public school teacher alive. But because he wasn’t paid for how handsome he was (and is), I was also carrying the responsibility of earning a full-time income to help keep our family afloat, with no nanny and no regular sitter either.
No wonder I looked at women like Beth Moore with admiration. Her career and her calling seemed to be one and the same.
Fast forward to today: I lead what is a secular business—a visibility gym for women entrepreneurs all over the country. Yet I wave my faith flag high and proud. Many of the women who come to me want business or visibility strategy. They would never sign up for a Bible study or prayer group. And yet… because I refuse to hide my faith, they get curious. They ask questions. Some even report buying their first Bible after hearing one of my biblical analogies or stories.
For that, I am deeply grateful. My career and my calling are much more aligned than they were in those early, hectic years.
Can Your Calling and Career Coexist?
Christian women often carry this weight: being faithful to career goals, staying present in family responsibilities, and honoring God’s bigger purpose for our lives. It can feel like a three-way tug-of-war, one which somehow, one part of us is always losing.
My early thoughts about Beth Moore weren’t wrong. It is easier when your career and calling are aligned. But here’s what I’ve learned: Even when they aren’t, your career can still become a bridge for your calling.
Think of it this way:
- If your calling is to encourage the weary, you can live that out by speaking life into your coworkers or clients.
- If your calling is to bring order out of chaos, you might show up as the most dependable, organized, prepared presence in your workplace.
- If your calling is to teach, you don’t have to be behind a pulpit—you can mentor new hires, guide your team, or share wisdom in conversations.Your career doesn’t have to compete with your calling. It can become a platform for it. Ask yourself: How does my career let me serve God and people right now?
And then, do it as if you were serving the Lord and not your boss or even your paycheck. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” (Colossians 3:23)
You Don’t Need to Choose—Blend the Two
You don’t need to choose between being “successful” in your career or faithful in your calling. You can bring more of your calling into your career until—if you choose one day—your career becomes your calling. And even in the struggle between the two, you may find yourself drawn closer to God. Because it’s often in the tension that we lean hardest on Him.
Isaiah 40:31 reminds us: “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
That’s the promise. When career feels heavy and calling feels unclear, God is faithful to refresh and strengthen you.
Friend, your work matters. Your calling matters. And the God entrusted you with both is weaving them together for His glory. So walk faithfully, trusting that in His timing, He will align your career and your calling in ways you could never orchestrate on your own.
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Your calling might be closer than you think; you may be standing in your own way! Learn how to recognize what’s holding you back from that dream you can’t shake: Have a Dream You Keep Putting Off? Here’s How to Make It Happen
