Week 7: Step Into Calling-Just A Girl Who Loves
- Kelly Kirstein
- Nov 12, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Living the Life You Were Created to Claim
Dreaming about your future with God is one of the most powerful ways to spend time with him. Let him help envision the life you were created for.
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This post can help you with Week 7: Step Into Calling in Just a Girl Who Loves Jesus.
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Week 7 Lesson By Kelly Kirstein
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Let's Do This Together: pgs. 60-73
Stepping into calling can feel like a confusing idea. It doesn’t usually happen all at once, rather it requires courage, commitment, and a willingness to learn through the pursuit of a relationship with Christ.
As we pursue connection to Christ, we discover our true selves and what we are capable of. The journey holds more significance than the end goal.
A key part of the journey is choosing who to serve in this life. By default, we tend to prioritize serving ourselves, using our actions to elevate ourselves and validate our value. However, the key to living a fulfilling life lies in recognizing how God has uniquely shaped us to make a difference in the world.
Story Time:
As a child, I had many of the same passions I do to this day. In my early years, I spent a great deal of time singing, playing house, I loved craft supplies and making art projects, and spending time with the people I cared about. As I grew, I absolutely loved babysitting and spending times with kids.
Looking back, it's easy to see the things built into me that ended up being my calling. While I was growing up, I didn't understand that those things were what would shape me into who I was meant to be. Instead, I focused my attention on academic achievement, doing well in activities, building friendships, and getting attention from boys.
As a young child I was happy and silly, but as I grew so did the hurt inside me. It seemed there were so many places that I fell short. In the competition of life, I was only in the middle, and I hated that. I wanted to be on top.
By the time I was a freshman in high school, I knew I was a talented singer, but fear of making a mistake or being embarrassed made it hard to use my gift. I didn't make swing choir that year because I got so nervous that I couldn't sing when I was trying out. I so badly wanted to be a part of it, but I failed to get in.
The early years of high school were dedicated to proving that I was pretty, smart, and talented. Up to that point, I had been rejected by boys my age. When those same boys started paying attention to me in high school, I ignored them because I had my eyes set on older boys. There was a part of me that enjoyed rejecting the same boys that rejected me in the years before.
I was fortunate to have supportive friends and many uplifting experiences as I transitioned into adulthood. Although I didn't grasp the idea that God has a specific plan for me, His influence was still evident in my life.
Having been raised in the church, I understood that God held a significant place in my life. My love for kids led me to teach 4 year old Sunday School, as a senior in high school. However, I never fully surrendered to His authority. If only I had realized earlier that His ways far surpassed the ways of the world, I could have avoided many years of suffering.
It wasn't until I turned 30 that I completely surrendered to him and started seeking to comprehend the implications of that decision. Following his will and embracing his calling has proven to be far more rewarding than I could ever envision.
Inspiration: pgs. 69-72
Let these pages show the dreams God has placed in your heart.
Use these questions to guide what you include:
Dreaming About Life
When I imagine my future with God, what kind of life do I see?
What images represent peace, joy, and purpose to me?
What kind of home or space would I love to create someday?
What does a “beautiful life" look like to me, even if I don’t know how it happens yet?
Dreaming About Who You’re Becoming
What kind of woman do I hope to grow into?
What words describe the character I want to be known for?
What habits, values, or qualities do I want my future self to have?
Dreaming About Work, Calling, and Creativity
What kinds of work, creativity, or service excite my heart?
What problems in the world do I feel drawn to care about?
What gifts or interests has God already placed in me that might grow over time?
If fear wasn’t in the way, what would I love to try or create?
Dreaming About Relationships and Family
What kind of friendships do I hope to have in the future?
How do I hope my family functions?
What kind of love, safety, and faith do I want my future relationships to reflect?
Dreaming With God
What Scriptures remind me that God has a plan for my life?
What prayers do I want to pray over my future?
Where do I want to trust God, even when I can’t see the full picture?
How can I invite God into my dreams instead of keeping them to myself?
Gentle Reminder to Include on the Page
Your dreams may change, grow, or surprise you and that’s okay. These pages are not a promise of what will happen, but a reflection of what God is stirring in your heart right now. He loves dreaming with you.
Additional Notes & Thoughts: pg. 59
I love the picture Revelation 4:1 creates when God says to the apostle John, "“Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”
Imagine God giving you the invitation to come up with him so he can show you your calling.
Life shifts when you begin to see yourself as part of God's holy and powerful plans.
Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with the desire to step into all that God has for you.
"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:33 ESV
An easy way to begin the first steps towards your calling is to use what God has given you for good, as it says in 1 Peter 4:10.
Take a few moments to ask Holy Spirit how you can make a positive impact in the lives of the people around you.
Scriptures to About How to Use Your Gifts and Talents
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. John 15:16 NIV
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21 NIV
for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. Romans 11:29 NIV
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10
As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him. 1John 2:27 NIV
Mental Health Minute: Step Into Calling pgs. 88-89
Use these questions to guide your reflection:
What is something from this study stood out to me, and why did it matter?
Did anything I learned challenge the way I think about who I am or what I am capable of?
What gifts, passions, or strengths do I notice in myself that God might be growing?
How did this study help me imagine the kind of person I want to become?
Where might God be inviting me to trust Him more with my future?
What small step could I take to live out what I am learning right now?
Remember, stepping into your calling does not mean having all the answers. It means being willing to listen, learn, and follow Jesus one step at a time. God delights in guiding you as you grow.
More Posts:
Just A Girl Who Loves Jesus
Simple Bible Study for Teens
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