Discerning Your Spiritual Calling: Envisioning your Call & Eliminating Worry

Eric Butterworth (2003) in the book The Creative Life: 7 Keys to Your Inner Genius, uses the Genesis creation account to outline a seven-step meditational process for discovering your spiritual calling. Just as the creation story manifest in stages, the revelation of your spiritual calling is progressive. The first stage is illumination, the next, expansion, and the third, visualization. Butterworth notes each progressive stage of the creation story provides guidance on how you can fulfill your purpose and create a life of meaning. 

The creation story begins with God illuminating the earth with the phrase, “Let there be light”. This is a metaphor for the moment you first noticed your spiritual calling. You become inspired and open-minded to the possibilities of engaging in something bigger than yourself. You may not have the details of how the calling manifest; but feel a drive to respond.

In the second stage of the creation process, the waters separate from the sky. The Bible refers to the sky as the firmament. Firmament is an important term, as it translates from the Hebrew word raki’a, which means expansion (Easton, 1897). During the second stage, you move from the initial enlightenment to an expanded vision of your calling. God informs you of the larger goal of your spiritual call. As your calling expands you realize the risks and perils associated with the call. At this stage you can choose to respond to your spiritual call with faith or fear. An attitude of faith results from centering in the character of God in meditation, whereas a heart of fear centers in lack, scarcity, and self-doubt. This centering of your faith in the abundance of God empowers and emboldens your calling.

Title: Leura Cascades, Author: RussellStreet, Source: Flickr is licensed by CC BY-SA 2.0

The third stage in discovering your calling involves visualizing your future and eliminating worry. God is the very core of the creation story. Remember, Genesis begins with the words, “In the Beginning God”. Creation first expresses in God's infinite mind and omniscience (Butterworth, 2003). Before God ever began the act of creation, the Holy Spirit envisioned creation within the mind of God. The same is true for your spiritual calling. Just as creation began with the visualization of God; your spiritual calling is already within you waiting to be envisioned. 

Envisioning Your Spiritual Calling:

Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear. And it was so. God called the dry ground "land," and the gather waters he called "seas"...Genesis 1:9-10 (NIV)

The separation of the dry land from the sea is a metaphor for the envisioning of your spiritual call (Butterworth, 2003). In the Bible, water represents your unconscious. The unconscious is the unreachable part of the mind that you have no awareness of, but still influences your behavior and emotions. Whereas the dry land represents thoughts you are aware of. Your spiritual calling emerges from your unconscious thought into the conscious, just as the dry land emerges from the depths of the sea in the creation story. The dry land is the process of the unconscious becoming conscious resulting in your spiritual call rising into thought and reality.

Too often you will look for your spiritual call outside yourself (Butterworth, 2003). You seek confirmation from spiritual teachers, gurus, or spiritual experiences. Your spiritual calling is always inside of you. It comes from your connection to the divine mind of God where it emerges and flows into the unconscious waters of your mind and then materializes as dry ground in your conscious thoughts. This is what it means to listen to the still, small quiet inner voice. For it is out of the depth of your unconscious that your visualization of your spiritual call will manifest.

Again, your spiritual call will never originate outside of yourself. In certain prosperity movements, there is a temptation to draw your spiritual call from outside the self. Fundamentalist movements refer to this belief as, “name it and claim it”. It has also become the corrupted use of the law of attraction in particular New Thought groups. The pursuit of your spiritual call through drawing from outside yourself is always out of God’s will (Butterworth, 2003). Your spiritual calling can only emerge from the unconscious waters within; otherwise, you will settle for a cheap copy of what God intended for you. A copy that lacks creativity and divine spark.

Your spiritual calling can only emerge from the unconscious waters within; otherwise, you will settle for a cheap copy of what God intended for you. A copy that lacks creativity and divine spark.

Few are familiar with the inward emergence of your spiritual calling. Unless you have pursued an extensive practice of meditation and contemplative prayer; you are not likely aware of the deep inner landscape that lives within you. In modern culture, external messages intensely barrage you. As a result, you are naturally more attune to outer messages rather than your inner guide. Think for a moment of all the outer messages experienced daily: family demands, text messages, emails, television marketing, and social media. Is it no wonder that you can no longer hear the dialogue in your own inner landscape?

Moses's Envisioned Spiritual Call

Moses received the initial illumination of his spiritual call through the burning bush. God then expanded his call by showing Moses that he would deliver the Hebrews to a land so abundant that it was called the “land of milk and honey.” He remained excited about his spiritual call until God showed him the challenges of his calling: Moses had to demand Pharaoh release the Hebrews from slavery. Moses experienced fear: but God strengthened his faith by expanding Moses’s view of God as a deity who could be trusted. When Moses centered his call on God’s omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence it transformed his fear to faith.

With Moses' faith transformed; the next stage of his calling occurred: the emergence of the conscious envisioning of his spiritual call. As Moses meditatively centers on divine provision, God gives a sign to Moses that will confirm his calling. The confirmation is the Hebrews will worship God on the very mountain where Moses is encountering the burning bush.

Note this confirmation of Moses’s call is in the future. Many times, you want God’s confirmation of your spiritual call during your illumination stage. You want confirmation in the here and now. This isn't the pattern of God's call. There is illumination and expansion of faith, but you must step out in your faith first. God will assure you during your first steps with his presence, power, and wisdom; but there is no confirmation of your call until it manifests. It is in your obedience that the confirmation of your call occurs.

Despite God’s reassurance of a sign that would confirm God’s call, Moses worries. Moses questions if the Israelites will even believe he is the one to lead them out of slavery. Moses’s worry differs from the fear he felt during the expansion of his call. His initial fears were based upon his own inward self-doubt and inadequacy; however, Moses’s worry focuses outward. How is he to approach the Hebrews and convince them to leave Egypt? Will they buy into his authority and leadership? Will they even trust Moses?

Diminishing Worry as You Envision Your Spiritual Calling:

Outside of fear, worry is most likely to derail you from accomplishing your spiritual call. Whereas fear is about your own self-inadequacy; worry is the belief that negative circumstances will prevent you from succeeding (Butterworth, 2003). Moses had no evidence the Hebrews would question his authority and leadership; yet the worry was at the forefront of his mind. It was an assumption of Moses, and worry is always a misplaced assumption.

Just as faith and fear are opposites of the same spiritual power; worry and prayer are also opposite expressions of your spiritual power (Butterworth, 2003). When you pray, you engage in the belief that divine providence will guide decisions, behaviors, and actions for a positive end. Worry is the opposite. Worry is based in your own belief in potential negative outcomes. When you worry you intensely replay a negative scenario in your mind until you become so focused on the doomed outcome that you unconsciously bring it forth into reality. 

To combat worry, you must learn to pray in a way that dispels your unease. It does not serve you to pray in a worriedly manner that continually affirms the potential for a negative end. This is simply your worry disguised as prayer. Praying, rather than worrying, begins with letting go of the problem and being open to the solutions that already live within you (Butterworth, 2003). Remember, just as your spiritual calling flows from within; so, do answers to prayer. Instead of reacting and worrying about your circumstances, allow the answers to flow from God through new ideals and solutions (Butterworth, 2003).

It is only when you move to a solution-focused mindset in your prayers; that answers, ideals, and divine guidance assist you

You cannot live out your spiritual calling if you live in a state of apprehension. It is impossible to find a solution to your problem when you live in the energy field of worry. Instead of allowing your mind to live in a poverty consciousness; live in a prosperity consciousness regarding your spiritual call. This isn't a pie in the sky consciousness that ignores real issues and problems. Instead, it views those problems contextually in abundant supply, goodness, and well-being. It is only when you move to a solution-focused mindset in your prayers; that answers, ideals, and divine guidance assist you.

Your vision of your spiritual calling will be driven either by worry or affirming prayer. Affirmative prayer envisions the possibilities, opportunities, and potentiality of your spiritual call. Unlike worry, affirmative prayer does not focus on lack, failure, and limitation. Your affirmative prayers should envision your spiritual call as supported and maintained by God’s abundant supply. When you use affirmative prayer instead of worrying you will move into the right vibration to live out God’s dream for your life.

Conclusion:

Your spiritual call will move through three important stages: illumination, expansion, and visioning. Just as the dry land emerged from the water in the creation account, the future vision of your calling manifest first inwardly in your unconscious, then proceeds in conscious thought. Too often, you look outward to spiritual teachers, gurus, and spiritual experiences for confirmation of your spiritual calling. Yet, a true vision of your calling emerges first from your unconscious and then manifests quietly in your conscious thought.

Your visions of your future calling will often produce worry. It is important to remember that worry is just a negative form of prayer; they are two different sides of the same spiritual power. When you face worry it is imperative to move into affirmative prayer. Affirmative prayer focuses on the possibilities, success, and opportunities versus lack, failure, and limitation. You cannot live in the accomplishment of your spiritual calling while you imagine failure, weakness, and affliction. 

Reflection Questions for Envisioning Your Spiritual Calling:

1. In what ways have you moved through illumination and expansion? How is the vision of your spiritual calling emerging as the dry lands emerged from the waters in the creation story?

2. How have you sensed the spiritual call moving from your inward unconscious to outward conscious thought?

3. Have you looked for outward confirmation of your spiritual call from others, spiritual teachers, or spiritual experiences instead of focusing on the quiet, voice emerging from within you?

4. What is your vision of your spiritual calling? What worries are confronting your vision?

5. How do you see using affirmative prayer as a method for countering your worries about your spiritual calling?

Meditation for Envisioning Your Spiritual Calling through Affirmative Prayer:

1. Begin by taking three to five deep cleansing breaths; continue your breath cycle until you feel relaxed.

2. As you sit in a state of calm with your eyes closed, focusing on your breath; allow the quietness of your inner world to expand. As the quietness expands, notice any emerging visions about your spiritual calling. Remember, these visions will be future oriented. It may be as simple as a quick picture coming to your mind. You may envision yourself taking part in an activity. It may take the form of a repetitive thought that returns over and over. How your vision unfolds is not as important as allowing the space for your unconscious to speak to your conscious. It may also be helpful to keep track of your dreams in a dream diary while you embark in this meditative practice. Dreams are often bridges to our unconscious mind.

3. Once you envisioned your spiritual calling; begin exploring your worries about your vision. List each worry on a piece of paper and begin using affirmative prayer to respond to them. First, name the worry; then write an alternative, affirmative prayer. It may look something like this:

Worry:I don’t know how I will pay my bills as I go back to school to pursue training for my spiritual call.

Affirmation 1: God is my abundant source and supply; God will provide a constant stream of provision that flows freely to me as I pursue my spiritual path. I rest in God’s abundance, provision, and interest in my financial well-being.

Affirmation 2: God gives me divine guidance in responsibly managing my money. God provides new ways of earning income as my needs arise.

Now take a few more deep cleansing breaths and slowly begin to re-vision your calling considering the affirmative prayer. How does the affirmative prayer change your perception of your future? In what ways does affirmative prayer strengthen your vision and calling, while eliminating worry.

The affirmation doesn’t have to be long or use elegant words. What is more important is the affirmation is easy to repeat to yourself when you experience worry. The affirmation should also be meaningful enough to you to move you to a positive vibrational mindset as you pray.

By: Heath B. Walters, Ph.D.

Copyright December 18th, 2022, Heath B. Walters DBA Spiritual Life Resources, All Rights Reserved

Reference

Butterworth, E. (2003). The Creative Life: 7 Keys to Your Inner Genius. Tarcher-Perigee.

Easton, M. G. (1897). Illustrate Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, Thomas Nelson as cited in Firmament, Bible Study Tools (2022) retrieved from: https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/firmament/

Zondervan NIV Study Bible (K. L. Barker, Ed.; Full rev. ed.). (2002). Zondervan