Discerning Your Spiritual Calling: Using Your Inner Guidance, Will, and Ego

Jul 10

The Creative Life:7 Keys to your Inner Genius (Butterworth, 2003), uses the creation account to outline a seven-step meditational process for discovering your spiritual calling. The first three stages included: Enlightenment, Expansion, and Visualization. The fourth stage uses your Inner Guidance and Will in the process of discernment.

Enlightenment occurs when you first notice your spiritual call. You may not have the details of how it will manifest; but you feel a drive to respond. Then, in the second stage, your spiritual calling expands, and you become familiar with the larger goals. The third stage encourages visualization. The visualization fills in the details of your call. Visualization moves from within outward and will take the form of pictures coming to your mind, imagining future activities, and re-occurring inspirational thoughts.

Title: Largo Antorno, Author: John Mason, Source: Flickr is licensed by CC BY 2.0

The fourth stage is reflected in the creation when God creates the Sun and the Moon. Metaphorically, this is when the “lights turn on in creation” and you experience intuitive guidance for your spiritual calling (Butterworth, 2003). Allegorically, the sun represents an inner guidance for your spiritual call, while the moon represents your will.

Using Intuitive Guidance in Discerning Your Spiritual Calling:

As noted, during the visualization stage; the call moves from within outward. Outward experiences or advice from spiritual teachers never direct your spiritual calling. These supports can provide helpful information and support; but the call comes from within you. It is an inner guide available to every person who seeks to serve.

As you intuitively move forward in your calling, the metaphorical sun lights the path of your call and provides guidance on your next steps. The plans, goals, and strategies of your spiritual calling come to light.

Your spiritual call is like a funnel; it begins broadly and then details reveal themselves in a progressive manner. Initially, a broad picture of the calling is given in the visualization stage. As you move into the intuitive guidance phase of your call, specific, detailed action strategies emerge in your thinking. For example, at the visualization stage, you may know you need more training to fulfill your mission. However, it isn’t until the guidance phase the details of helpful workshops and classes materialize. The intuitive guidance phase provides light on your next actionable steps.

Using Your Will in Discerning Your Spiritual Calling:

Intuitive guidance outlines the practical next steps of your spiritual calling. The guidance empowers the vision of your call, but it is your will that drives its pursuit and accomplishment. The expression of your will enables the execution of practical day-to-day tasks associated with your call.

A mistake often made is confusing your human will with hard labor, overwork, and burnout levels of production. This is the exact opposite of how your will is expressed within the process of your calling (Butterworth, 2003). Remember, the moon is the allegorical representative of your will. Characteristically, the moon doesn’t create its own light, but simply reflects the light of the sun. The moon puts no effort into reflecting light on the earth; it simply moves in synchronicity with the light and illumination of the sun.

True spiritual expression of your will is not a stubborn, do-or-die mentality. Instead, it reflects spiritual flow and ease within the activities, goals, and strategies of your calling. When you look at God’s actions in the creation story; the Spirit is never frustrated or strained. Instead, God simply creates through the words, “Let there Be” (Butterworth, 2003). God moves in the flow of the creative process without effort or strain. Your calling will take effort and work. However, if you are experiencing strain and stress, then this is out of sync with God's plan for your life. Christ notes in the New Testament, "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:30, NRSV)

Avoiding “The Ego” in Manifesting Your Spiritual Calling:

Over-exertion, stress, and phrenetic urgency are indicators that your ego has taken over. The right relationship between intuitive understanding and the expression of your will moves with flow and certainty. When you pursue your calling in true service, it will always contain a certain level of poise, ease, and certainty, even when facing obstacles.

The expression of your will is not one of will-power, but willingness (Butterworth, 2003). Use of your will isn't making something happen. but reflects your willingness to take part in what is already happening through God. When your willpower transforms to willingness; you stop being the center of attention and instead pursue what God desires for you.

God at work is clear in every stage of the creation narrative. Yet there is no strain, hardship, stress, or worry. God simply creates in the easy willingness of the words, “Let there be” (Butterworth, 2003). Willingness to work with God reflects the flow of God’s creative ease, whereas willfulness reveals your own misguided desires. If you are experiencing strain, stress, and disharmony beyond normal efforts, then you have to discern, “Are you answering God’s spiritual call for your life, or your own?”

Intuitive Guidance, the Will, and the Ego in the Spiritual Call of Moses:

Moses received his calling from God through the seven stages of creation. First, Moses received the initial illumination through the burning bush. Then God expanded his calling by showing Moses he would deliver the Hebrews to a land of opportunity and abundance. During the third phase, Moses envisions the release of the Hebrew slaves.

Just like you and I, Moses was very self-centered during the initial stages of his calling. The initial illumination of his call excited him. His excitement was based on being a hero and the center of God’s attention. Then, as Moses’ call expanded; the dark side of his ego revealed itself as fear. The egocentric Moses questioned his capabilities, talents, and personality characteristics as he contemplated his role. Moses’s egoic self-interest continued into the third phase of his calling. He worriedly explored the “what ifs” and potential risks. As with Moses, your own ego-based response to your call will be filled with prideful exuberance, fear, and worry. If you are experiencing these aspects in the process of your calling; you are out of spiritual flow.

God redirects Moses by refocusing his attention on God's presence. In his ego-based state, Moses worried, “Suppose I go to the Hebrews, and they question who sent me?” Moses, in his prideful exuberance, fear, and worry, moved out of spiritual flow; but God brings him back into understanding by reminding Moses, “I Am Who I Am” (Exodus 3:14, NIV).

God brings intuitive guidance (the Sun) to Moses. Moses is seeing that the spiritual call isn’t about self-interest and valor. Instead, the call is about God’s care for the Hebrews and their suffering. Moses has one job, to reflect (like the moon), the “I AM” of God. Once Moses moves from his own self-focus and interest; he works in the flow of his spiritual call.

Like Moses, you may become too dependent on your own capabilities, talents, and skills. When you become self-focused on what you bring to the table, this is when pride, fear, and worry interfere. Your calling becomes an expression of your willpower versus your willingness to serve. Make no mistake, God will use every talent, skill, and ability given to you. However, you can only serve when your will is empowered through your reflection of God through your willingness to serve.

Conclusion:

After the initial vision of your call, the next phase includes intuitive guidance and expression of your will. The intuitive guidance provides goals, processes, and strategies to accomplishing your call, while the expression of your will empowers you to complete the next steps.

There is a caution in the misuse of your will. The expression of your will should reflect a willingness to serve versus stubborn determination. If you are experiencing stress, strain, and anxiety in response to your calling, it is a good indicator you are acting out your own willfulness to make your calling happen. Realize your will divinely expressed is always a reflection of God’s authority, not your own skills, talents, and abilities. When you move from self-focused willfulness to a willingness to serve, you will step into God’s creative power and flow.

Reflection Questions:

As your spiritual calling becomes envisioned; in what ways is God bringing intuitive guidance (the Sun) to your spiritual call through revealing stages, strategies, goals, and processes to accomplish your call?
Are you experiencing strain, fear, worry, or urgency in your spiritual call? Is it a reflection of your own stubborn determination or a willingness to serve?
If you are experiencing stubborn determination versus a willingness to serve, in what ways can you become less self-centered and more God-centered in your spiritual call?

Meditation:

Sit quietly for 10-15 minutes and really consider if you are experiencing stress, strain, fear, or hurry as you work towards your spiritual calling. As these are symptoms of an ego-based focus in your spiritual call, how can you move towards a more God-centered focus within your calling? A focus not centered on your skills, abilities, and capabilities, but more focused on God working through your willingness to serve. It may be helpful to journal for a few days as you meditate and pray to identify themes and insights gained.

By: Heath B. Walters, Ph.D.

Reference

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

The Bible: New Revised Standard Version. (The American Bible Society). (1997). The American Bible Society.

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

CallingDiscernmentSpiritualityVocation

Spiritual Life Resources