I have a serious question that I honestly don't know the answer to. How does someone truly come to know what God has called them to do? In regard to what you said, we definitely see examples in scripture where people received a direct calling from God, and we also know that God tempers us in the body of Christ as he wills. How do we find out what part of the body we truly have been called to be?
I have no idea what I am. I have long felt that I should be a mouth, but that doesn't seem likely. Can you be a heart? I do care about people. That must count for something. When I am working at different locations, I always seem to be hands because people regularly ask me to grab or carry something for them, even though I don't actually work for those companies. Who knows? Maybe I'm just a toenail.
You're asking great questions!
This could just be me, but I have to wonder if maybe Christians and the church have put too much emphasis on "You Have a Great Calling From God!" and "We Are All a Certain Part of the Body of Christ!"
And so we spend our whole lives seeking, worrying, and spending vast amounts of time, energy, and money trying to find What That One Ultimate Calling or Ultimate Part of the Body We Are Meant to Be. I've done this all my life as well, because that's what I was always told.
I think part of the allure of Christianity is that it gives many people a feeling of meaning in what might seem like an otherwise mundane existence. This thought that the Almighty God has this very special, very unique calling and purpose in our lives suddenly gives our life meaning, like someone who has been told they're on a secret mission only they can fulfill.
I'm in my 50's now, and I pay special attention to those who have walked the Christian life for many decades of life, because I want to know what it's looked like and how it's still going. Many people I've met in their 60's and up are still wondering "What is my calling? What is my purpose? What part of the Body am I?"
I'm coming to the conclusion that I think God gives us all a calling and a purpose -- to develop our relationship with Him over our lifetime, to follow and obey what He wants us to do, and to serve and to witness to other people.
On the surface, it sounds very generic. But when push comes to shove, it's all very individualized -- and not nearly as glamorous as what Christianity seems to make it out to be.
If someone asked Moses, "What is your calling? What is your purpose? What part of the Body are you?" I don't know what he would answer. The Bible says Moses was the most humble person on earth. God specifically raised Moses in the midst Egyptian culture to lead His people out of Egypt and be part of an unprecedented work from the Lord.
But what would Moses say? That his purpose was to be God's vehicle to part the Red Sea? That his calling was to carry down the stone tablets containing the 10 commandments? That his part in the Body was to be a thorn in Pharaoh's side and then witness the 10 worst plagues the world had ever known?
Maybe.
But I have to wonder if Moses would mention things such things as having to listen to the people's constant complaints (about EVERYTHING,) then pleading with his own life that God would spare these obnoxious, rebellious people -- then fall into the same cycle, bringing about God's wrath -- over, and over, and over again. How much fun does THAT sound for a calling? And how many people would sign right up?
I think that's what we all miss. We expect some great calling in which we're moving mountains and calling down lightning and performing miracles left and right.
And some of those things CAN happen. They certainly did in the lives of some of the spiritual giants the Bible tells us about. But I think most days, their lives looked very much like our own. Like us, they dealt with the mundane tasks of trying to earn a living and feed themselves. They took care of others, dealing with sickness, filth, and poverty, they grew weary of dealing with others in the middle of messes they made for themselves. They had families, with all the drama and more that we deal with today.
And I'm sure there were many more everyday, "boring" days such as those than of watching God part large bodies of water.
Many years ago, I worked at a retail store in which we all (including managers) took turns cleaning the restrooms. One time, the job fell on a young woman, but since she was pregnant, the manager asked the next person on the list to do it (a man of about age 60.) He absolutely refused. I was floored that this man cared about his own, pride or whatever it was, rather than the health and safety of a young mother and her unborn child.
And so after watching this man quibble like a child refusing to clean his room, I just told the manager I would do it. Did I want to? Absolutely not (after all, I had my own turn coming around.) But I knew that's what God was calling me to do in that moment. And the manager said, "Never, in my whole career, have I ever known of anyone who volunteered to clean the bathrooms."
Hopefully, this was a sign to this manager that the people of God are different. (And as an aside, the older man who refused was later fired because customers were complaining of how strongly he smelled of alcohol. He had some... things going on in his life.)
Now do I always listen, follow, and obey? Absolutely not!!! For this one story, I could tell you a thousand more where I put God's name to shame and still feel guilt.
But as time goes on, I feel that waiting for some big revelation of a calling or purpose or definition of a part might be a distraction or hindrance to, as Nike would say, "Just Do(ing) It." I don't have to wait for a big sign of what my mission is, I just have to be aware of what God wants me to do in given situations and times.
If I had to put a label on my calling or decide what part of the body I am, I would say, I'm a small piece of the connective tissue. My job is to try to help the other parts understand and work together better. I think the Body of Christ can also be thought of as a smooth-running machine, of which, I'm designed to try to help bring the nuts and bolts together (which is quite fitting, as my CC friends will tell you how nutty I am!)
In the end, I've realized (just for myself) that a strict definition or clearly outlined mission statement doesn't matter for my life, and maybe God will never give me one.
This morning I was doing dishes for someone because they are being pulled in a hundred very difficult directions -- and in the middle of the scrubbing, suds, and scraps -- I knew I was right in the center of my calling, whatever it may be.
God bless you,
@passion84god, in seeking the Lord in everything you do!
Do you like pumping? A heart pumps blood around the body. And we all need blood, life is in the blood. Do you donate blood? Hospitals always need them for people. 
Hands are good
