Called Forward

Expanding your calling means breaking through barriers to embrace your Grander Vision. GLS faculty alumni, Christine Caine, has modeled a life of courageously pursuing the expansive calling she sensed from God. In this insightful post, she identifies five key questions to help you determine if you being are “called forward.”

The Australian Coat of Arms depicts a very insightful image—and one that I hold dear since I was born and raised in Australia. There are two animals portrayed holding up a shield—the Red Kangaroo and the Emu. They were chosen not only because they are indigenous to Australia, but also because they were created to move forward.

The Emu, a large non-flying bird slightly smaller than its cousin the Ostrich, is known for its speed, covering as much as nine feet in a single step when running full throttle. It is the only bird with calf muscles—much like a human—nonetheless, it can’t walk backward. It can only move forward.

The Red Kangaroo—like all kangaroos—moves with a hopping motion called saltation, which literally means “to leap.” They push off with both of their large feet simultaneously and use their tails for balance. The combination of their muscular legs, big feet and tails help the kangaroos move forward effectively. But again, they can only move forward—not backward.

I believe God designed you—another marvel of creation—to move the same way. Forward-bound, never stepping back, not even looking back.

 Throughout the Bible, God consistently leads His people in one direction: “Press on…look ahead…forget what lies behind…REACH FORWARD to what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:12-14).

If you’ve been considering and praying about a change—whether it’s a promotion, moving to a new city, or going for more education—it will begin with your decision to take a step forward.

To help you in your decision-making, take a personal inventory and contemplate these questions:

1. Have you been where you are long enough? Whether it’s some place physical—like your present position—or someplace mental—like your attitudes or habits—if you’ve made a permanent place out of something that was supposed to be a pit stop, or somewhere you were supposed to grow through, then you’ve been there long enough. Procrastinating is never going to move you.
2. Is it time to break out of where you are and into where you are going? To break is to shatter, smash, snap, crack or fracture. It’s to interrupt, disturb or break your routine. When you break something, it often hurts physically or emotionally. It might not be comfortable, but it’s often necessary to leave a place that’s constricted, confined and limiting. It’s often necessary to grow to the next level. Remember: It’s just as easy to miss a moment as it is to seize a moment.
3. Is it time to advance? To advance is to move forward in a purposeful way, to press on, to progress. Oftentimes, it takes courage to let go of where you are and what you have to lay hold of the future. You will have to be more faith-FULL than fear-FULL. If God is saying go, your willingness and determination will be necessary to go and receive what he has for you.
4. Is it time to forget the past—if that’s what’s holding you back—and risk failure or hurt again? God will always have another chance ready for you to take. But you will have to let go of any of the past that’s holding you back emotionally. You will have to build strong emotional intelligence and capacity to move forward and successfully lead others and build healthy relationships. You can do this!
5. Does it seem impossible? Maybe…but so what? Impossible is what God does. And nothing he asks us to do can ever be done in our natural strength anyway. If you can manage it on your own, you don’t need God.

It’s time to increase your capacity. The world is waiting—and you are the answer.

If God is saying, “Go,” then don’t say, No.” Whether you are a CEO of a national company, a supervisor in retail, a stay-at-home mom managing a home-based business, or a post-career leader in your community, God has things for you to do every day you are on this Earth. There are assignments for you to responsibly manage—and now is the time to live propelled into your future. Answer these questions and discover your leadership capacity—then embrace all that God has for you to do, individually and collectively. Identify how you are equipped, and then be confident in how he’s gifted you and prepared you. He’s calling you forward, the only direction the Emu, the Red Kangaroo and you were ever created to go.