I was seven years old when I heard Bruce Porterfield speak at the Pinehurst Bible Church in Pinehurst Idaho. Bruce was a burly young missionary in South America with the New Tribes Mission and had been invited to speak during Missions Week at church. I remember listening intently as Bruce described the difficulties and dangers of taking the gospel to primitive tribes deep in the South American jungles. It was a special day for me because it was the day I first felt a call to the preaching ministry.

My parents had been married at Pinehurst Bible Church a decade before I was there to hear Bruce speak. Mom and Dad were not Christians when they got married, but my grandmother (Dad’s mother) was, and she prayed daily for the salvation of her children and her spouse. Her prayers on behalf of my family were answered when my parents were in their early thirties. In fact, my parents, my sister and I were born again the same week. I was six years old at the time.

As the years passed, the excitement of that day when I heard Bruce Porterfield speak began to fade. However, when he was young he didn’t really understand the call to ministry, so it was easy to get caught up in the typical activities common to childhood and youth. When I was in high school, my life revolved around sports and the arts. I gave little thought to the future and seldom seriously considered a call to the preaching ministry.

In his late twenties, he was married to a beautiful woman, had four children, owned a moderately successful insurance agency, and was tied up with a mortgage payment on a five-acre property (and a goat or two). In the eyes of the world I did. However, he was not at rest, and he knew why.

God had placed a calling on my life and I was not going to give up on that calling. Over the years he reminded me of that purpose through the Word, the testimony of other Christians, and an emotion in my heart that I could not ignore. Finally, against strong headwinds, I sold my agency and home and moved my family to Denver Colorado in response to a call from Mountain View Community Reformed Church.

In the ensuing twenty years, we have experienced our share of ups and downs. One thing I quickly discovered is that there are people who call themselves Christians and who make it their mission in life to attack pastors and their families. I sometimes wonder why I left an industry in which I was the respected expert to work in a position open to ridicule from anyone with a vested interest, theologically astute or not. However, it is only in the search for my life’s calling that I find rest.

This is true for every believer. You may not be called to a preaching or pastoral ministry, but you are. Sometimes (many times?) your calling will be different from your vocation, but every member of God’s family has a job to do, and until you do that job, you won’t be at ease. You may know from childhood what your calling is. On the other hand, it may take you years to understand what God has called you to do; Alright. Use those years to prepare. Study the word, be steadfast in prayer, serve where needed, and be ready to join the Lord where He is working when He calls.