How can I find my spiritual calling?

People want to know how they can find what their spiritual calling is,
i.e. what God is calling them to do with their lives. They want to
know the one, grand purpose God has for them, the one dominant
spiritual gift that will reach hundreds or thousands or millions. The
truth is, however, God doesn't call many people to dedicate their
lives to one specific area. And if He does, He does so in His own
timing.

In popular Christian culture, it is usually the people who find their
niche and stay there for years who get the attention. Major
para-church leaders, musicians, and evangelists often spend decades
working at and perfecting the one area in which God has called them to
serve. But the vast majority of believers are not called to a single,
ground-breaking ministry. Instead, we're called to several, depending
on our stage of life, our spiritual maturity level, and the needs of
those around us. God calls us to serve where we are. Someone with the
gift of teaching may lead a Sunday school class for a while, teach at
a Christian school, and then write curriculum. Or he may work at a
bank and find opportunity to teach others about God through more
informal situations. We are ultimately called to fill the needs of the
body (1 Corinthians 12:7), but that doesn't mean we'll have a single,
lifelong ministry to concentrate on, although sometimes it does.

Sometimes, God does give an individual a specific ministry, but He
always does so in His own timing. Like training before a competition,
it takes time to develop the wisdom and skills we need (1 Corinthians
3:2). If God were to give us the mission before the training, we'd try
to do too much too soon. Instead, God holds us back, taking time to
build our practical skills (Luke 2:52), spiritual knowledge (2 Peter
3:18), and faith (James 2:22). James spoke to this in James 1:2-4:
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face
trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith
produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you
may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Many people are anxious to discover their calling from God, but when
"calling" is used in the New Testament, it almost always refers to our
calling as believers (Romans 11:29; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 1:18,
4:1, 4; 2 Thessalonians 1:11; 2 Timothy 1:9; Hebrews 3:1; 2 Peter
1:10), not our calling to a specific ministry. Ultimately, our
"calling" is to love God, love others, obey God, and take care of
others. If we concentrate on fulfilling the responsibilities He's
given us now, God will take care of our impact on the world.