What If Your Calling Feels… Meh? (And Not at All Like a Spiritual Glow-Up)

I was folding laundry one night when the thought hit me like a wet sock to the face:

“This is it? This is my holy assignment?”

I wasn’t at a revival. I wasn’t leading a prayer ministry. I wasn’t building an orphanage, translating Greek, or planting churches across six continents.

Nope. I was matching socks.
(Actually, I was losing socks, which is a far less victorious story.)

And for a second, it made me panic. Because everywhere I look, people seem to be doing something. Writing books. Starting ministries. Becoming "Kingdom entrepreneurs" (still figuring out what that means). Launching podcasts with cover photos that look like Netflix dramas.

Meanwhile, I’m just here... surviving.
Doing my job. Keeping the house semi-clean. Loving people badly-but-honestly.
And sometimes, I think:
“What if my calling isn’t very impressive?”

When Obedience Looks Less Like Fireworks and More Like… Tuesdays

We don’t say it out loud, but there’s this lowkey Christian panic going on:
If your life doesn’t look big, maybe it’s not meaningful.
If your calling isn’t obvious, maybe you’ve missed it.
If you’re not doing something “radical for Jesus,” maybe you’re just wasting your potential.

I’ve asked myself that question more times than I’d like to admit:
“What if I’m just… average? Spiritually average?”

Because we’ve all seen those testimonies, right?
The “I quit my six-figure job to move to a remote village and now I baptize 300 people every week” kind. Or the “God told me to start a YouTube channel and now it funds an orphanage in Uganda” kind.

(And praise God for those stories. Seriously. I’m not being sarcastic. Just… very aware that mine doesn’t look like that.)

Mine looks like emails. Grocery runs. Trying not to cry at work. Reading the Bible at 1AM because I forgot earlier. Struggling to pray and then falling asleep mid-sentence.

It’s not very aesthetic.
But what if it’s still holy?

Maybe Your Calling Doesn’t Need to Trend

One thing God keeps confronting me with is this:
You don’t need a platform to be obedient.
And you don’t need a following to be faithful.

Some of the most spiritually dangerous lies come wrapped in “Christian influencer” language.
Things like:

“Make an impact for the Kingdom!”
“Step into your God-sized dream!”
“Don’t play small—God wants to enlarge your territory!”

None of those things are evil. But they can twist something sacred:
The idea that your worth is proven by output.

Jesus never chased “impact.”
He chased intimacy with the Father.
He wasn’t rushing to be seen. He was content to disappear into prayer.

Thirty years in obscurity.
Three years in ministry.
And then death.

No book deal. No platform. No Instagram grid.
Just pure, unfiltered, quiet obedience.

When You’re Doing Less Than You Hoped (And God Still Isn’t Panicking)

Sometimes I ask God, “Is this really it? Am I doing enough?”
And I never hear Him say, “Yeah, I need you to scale up your content strategy.”

Instead, I get this deeply unglamorous answer whispered into my panic:
“Be faithful.”

Not flashy. Not famous.
Not even… clear.

Just faithful.

And I don’t know who needs to hear this, but:

Being a present friend when you’re tired is part of your calling.
Working with integrity even when no one sees it? That counts.
Praying for your family when they don’t want to hear about Jesus anymore? Still your assignment.
Showing up to your boring day job and not spiritually combusting? That’s obedience too.

I used to think “calling” had to be loud. But sometimes it sounds more like silence, like walking through a season where nothing is happening, and still trusting that God is working beneath the surface.

So What If You’re Never “Big”?

Here’s the most freeing (and mildly offensive) truth I’ve learned:

You might never be impressive.
Not in Christian circles. Not in worldly ones. Not even in your own eyes.

You might not be known. You might not ever get “clarity” on your big purpose.
But if you walk closely with Jesus?
If you serve the people He puts in front of you?
If you say “yes” when no one’s watching?

You’re already fulfilling the greatest calling:
To love God and love others.

Not because it’s the minimum, but because it’s the most eternal.
Everything else fades. Even the most impressive callings die with us.
But a life of love? That goes on. That echoes in heaven.

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FAQs

Q: How do I figure out what my calling is?

A: You can begin discovering your calling by paying attention to where your deepest burdens meet the needs of others. Ask God what He wants you to do with the gifts, opportunities, and people already in your life. Often, your calling won’t come with a lightning bolt, it’ll unfold through small acts of obedience, holy restlessness, and consistent intimacy with Him.

Don’t overthink it, God is far more interested in your willingness than your clarity. Scripture rarely shows people mapping out 10-year ministry plans. Instead, God calls people moment by moment, season by season. If you’re walking closely with Him, loving others, and staying open to His voice, you’re not missing your calling. You’re already living in it.

Q: Does everyone have a ministry?

A: Yes, every Christian has a ministry. Ministry isn’t limited to pastors or missionaries, it simply means serving others in the name of Jesus. Whether you’re encouraging a friend, raising children, helping a neighbour, or praying for someone in secret, that’s ministry in God’s eyes.

Ephesians 4:12 says the Church exists “to equip the saints for the work of ministry,” meaning all believers are called to build up the Body of Christ in different ways. Your ministry might not have a title or stage, but if it flows from love and obedience, it’s deeply spiritual and eternally valuable.

Q: What does the Bible say about working a secular Job?

A: The Bible affirms that working a secular job is both honorable and God-glorifying. Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,” reminding us that all work can be worship when done with integrity and excellence.

Scripture is full of faithful people in everyday occupations: farmers, tentmakers, shepherds, carpenters. Jesus Himself worked as a carpenter before His public ministry. God doesn’t divide life into “sacred” and “secular”, He sees your workplace as a mission field. If you’re working with honesty, loving your coworkers, and walking in the Spirit, your “secular” job is deeply spiritual.

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If You’re Still Here…

...then you’re probably someone who wants to live a God-honouring life but keeps wondering if you’re doing it wrong.
Maybe you’ve never had a lightning-bolt calling.
Maybe your “obedience” looks like surviving the workweek without rage-quitting.
Maybe your offering to God is just this small, tired “yes” that no one claps for.

Let me say this with all the affection in my burnt-out Christian soul:

That’s enough.
God doesn’t measure success like we do.
He’s not comparing you to that woman with the 30-day devotional e-course and the matching Instagram grid.
He sees you. Right here. In the quiet. In the doubt. In the deeply unimpressive moments that somehow still glorify Him.

And honestly? That might be the holiest calling of all.

🕊️ What does your “quiet calling” look like in this season?
You don’t need to explain or justify it, just share it. Your quiet obedience might be someone else’s loud encouragement.

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