Have you ever had a calling from God?

[stanzaorganza]

My neighbour is an accountant. He is 33, married to a lovely woman and has no children. They are both very Christian and regularly talk about God in everyday conversation ie. when they got married they could feel God’s presence etc.

He has recently had a calling from God to try a long held dream to become a singer. He says he has felt God leading him down this path and can no longer refuse him.

This is all great but what does a calling from God actually involve? What’s the difference between that and just deciding you fancy a career change? As a non Christian this is not something I have ever experienced but interested to find out.

It's all very well to be 'called' to a vocation. But to talk about it in detail I find off-putting. It's so personal, keep quiet.

"My personal values and beliefs mean I see this work as important and meaningful. It gives me a sense of purpose and makes my own life and experiences feel worthwhile."

Thank you for your replies. I didn’t mean to offend anyone who is a believer in God, I am just genuinely interested in what constitutes a calling.

I like the idea that it’s just a different way of interpreting the gut feeling that we’re all familiar with. That’s something I can relate to.

For what it’s worth, I believe that he does genuinely believe he’s had a calling to do this. It’s not a way of getting his wife to support him whilst he pisses about singing all day.

No. But a family member had a calling to become a pastor in an evangelical church.

3 years of a full-time BibleStudies degree (9k fees p.a. as this was a second undergraduate degree), followed by
3 years of low-paid training
3 house moves, disrupting their children's lives each time

That person is now a pastor and is as happy as larry.
But let's just say that everyone else had to pay for it. God didn't exactly make it happen.

Why people can't be 'called' to volunteer in the church they already attend I just don't understand, or perhaps be called to do something helpful in the local community. No, they often seem to be called to do something involving new careers, expensive courses of study or being in the limelight...

I find some of the posts here to be really offensive. If the OP was in relation to a different religion, I doubt the replies wouldve been so mocking and rude.

A friend was told by a girl he fancied that she had been told by God not to date him. I think that smacks of not taking responsibility for your own decisions. It is a rhetorical tool to shut down discussion.

Yes.

But the word 'calling' can probably be interpreted in different ways. For some it's just a sense that they want to use their gifts and talents for God, and so say they feel called to do so - it's the same as anyone wanting to use what they're good at for the good of others perhaps. For some it's a clearer sense of calling, like with my dh who's a vicar, a very clear call when he was young despite him not wanting to, and confirmed by a load of other people randomly without him having mentioned it to them. That kind of thing. Or for some it might be a real sense of a call to go and live among the poor or go overseas to work in a clinic in Uganda or among drug addicts in China like Jackie Pullinger.

I get highly suspicious when someone says they have a calling to own a multi million pound mansion, jet and yacht, though.

I've felt callings in my own life in various ways, sometimes very powerful and backed up by others in ways I'd never have imagined, sometimes just an innate sense of something.

He might well feel he should pursue his singing to use this gift for God (if indeed it is a gift and he's not deluded in his singing talent...)

I mean, it's just your inner monologue, isn't it?

Yes I have a calling, and it's bloody hard and takes me right out of my comfort zone. But I know it wouldn't go away if I ignored it - believe me, I have tried.

@stanzaorganza I wasn’t offended at all and it’s a good question to ask!
It’s also reasonable to think about the nature of any calling that does damage to others - spiritual abuse is a real thing and there are some nasty people (not truly following God) who will use faith to control and abuse others. It’s great that you don’t see this as an element here, but it does happen. No one is called by God to harm someone.

@Carouselfish I can understand that perspective, but as someone with a constant internal monologue it’s actually quite different, you can feel that it’s coming from outside yourself. I have argued with answers to prayer before wondering if it’s just me imposing something, but often the answer is something I wouldn’t choose without God’s prompting. Faith can be hard though

I did, I had a peak experience, similar to what Erkhart Tolle talks about where you are just in the now and nothing else exists. It was sheer bliss my hearing and sight were perfect, I understood everything. I had no thoughts, I was just in the now. But everyone else was in the sleepy low level consciousness that most people are in all the time and they kept saying 'oh my god' and 'my god' and it was all perfectly relevant because the things they were talking about, it was like they were offering the situations up to god and saying help me understand this. It was beautiful, I was only 19 but my consciousness was higher than anyone's for miles around . Anyhow your neighbour talking about his call from god is talking shit. He has a strong urge to do something and blames god rather than himself, he's weak and doesn't want to be judged.

I know someone whose "calling from God" was much as @MaybeDoctor describes

Expensive
Attention Seeking
Constantly Looking For Financial Support from others because "this is Gods Plan"
Hugely Disruptive to their children
The Practical Equivalent of Flogging Ice To Eskimos

I am not dismissive of religion far from it, grew up in Church but no longer sure of beliefs

I was very "did ye, aye?" When it came to them having "a calling" though

They were HUGELY arrogant and egotistical at the BEST of times and it really smacked of and still does of "this is what I fancy doing, but I'm going to say its a calling, because I'm special, and I want people to be awed"

It’s a bit sad hearing so many people be so disrespectful about religious beliefs (that are not harming anyone if you disagree).

It’s not being disrespectful of religious beliefs. It’s Christian beliefs largely. This is only ever directed towards Christians and Christianity - I’ve seen disgusting comments being made about both on a thread about religion.

I’ve never seen a single comment by a mumsnetter aimed at Islam or Judaism or Hinduism, etc. But people seem to get away with nasty comments about Christianity.

I once knew a woman who prayed for a new car and then when she bought a new car she thanked god for it. That's mostly what I have to say given she also said starving kids in Africa deserve to die because their missionaries didn't teach them to pray properly 😐

No messages from God, sadly.

However, I have heard cookies calling my name from the kitchen.

Urgh, this is a nasty thread.

@kitk that’s not any kind of Christianity I recognise. You can speak to God and way to like, there’s no wrong or right way to pray. Unfortunately there’s a lot of twats who’ll call themselves Christian but act nothing like (avert your gaze to our old pal Trump for starters)

The car one is perhaps not what you’re reading it as though. I’m praying for God’s help in buying a house at the moment - we still need to save and have the right earnings and stuff, this is on us. But we also need some very specific things to all fall into place all the same time for what we want to come about. These areas are out of our control and will require divine intervention as far as I can see.

@Beebie2 yes, as a PP said above people do seem to be fine to be nasty about Christianity in a way they’re less likely to be about other religions.

I say I’m not religious, on the whole I’m not at all! Never been to church, I drink and swear and I’m gay... but in extremely desperate times of worry I do find myself saying ‘please god...’ I wonder why that is 😐

@buffalocauliflower

it’s awful to read. Unless someone is being offensive, rude, violent etc I have no idea why people get so hung up.

People of all personalities exist across all belief systems! Low and behold, Christians vary too!

I’ve never seen a single comment by a mumsnetter aimed at Islam or Judaism or Hinduism, etc.

I have.

@cybercontroller still doesn’t make any of it ok though.

God gets both credited and blamed for human decisions/desires.

I would rather people had the courage to own their decisions.

@Mischance they’re not mutually exclusive. You can credit yourself AND God. I know I do.

@Baskin I drink and swear too, and I’m not gay but I do have a few gay Christian friends. None of these things prevent you having a relationship with God