Three Postures That Hijack Your Calling
Why intentional spiritual formation is essential for your life in the world
I recently delivered a talk to students at North Greenville University on the topic of spiritual formation and calling. Below is a summary of my talk. You might find it helpful.
Education is more than simply acquiring information—it's about intentional formation. This approach is rooted deeply in the Great Commandment given by Jesus in Mark 12:30-31, urging us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
As you think about your future, I want to stress the importance of developing good rhythms and habits. In other words, the rest of your life is right now.
Spiritual formation matters for our lives in the world. James 1:27 reminds us that the life of Christ is both interior and exterior. “True religion,” he writes, is “to look after widows and orphans in their distress and keep oneself unstained from the world.” Your life in the world—your vocations, your callings, your passions—are only ever as effective as your life with God.
So while you pursue this holistic education passionately, there are three critical obstacles—Isolation, Entitlement, and Insecurity—that, if left unchecked, can severely hijack our growth and future.
Isolation
Isolation is one of the most subtle yet destructive forces that can derail our lives. We are relational beings created in the image of a relational God, designed to thrive in community. Isolation, on the other hand, fosters darkness and sin, cutting us off from the vital encouragement, correction, and wisdom offered by relationships.
Consider this: People who isolate themselves often become vulnerable to deception, discouragement, and despair. Stories abound of leaders—gifted, capable, and talented—who fell because they had no accountability, no parent figures to guide them, no peers to challenge them, and no protégés to nurture. Scripture warns explicitly about this risk, highlighting how essential community is to our spiritual health and personal growth.
The way to combat isolation is to build vibrant community connections through friendships, mentorships, and local church involvement. Those who intentionally engage in such community practices significantly decrease their risk of falling into isolation and are more resilient, hopeful, and spiritually mature.
Entitlement
Another critical danger is entitlement—a mindset that assumes success, respect, and recognition are rights rather than privileges or gifts from God. Entitlement dulls gratitude and promotes bitterness when life does not go as planned, blocking genuine growth and healthy ambition.
Entitlement whispers to us, suggesting that we inherently deserve success or that the world owes us something. Entitlement is the belief that we deserve a book contract from a publisher, a lucrative job offer from the employer, a platform before we are ready. Entitlement erodes character, reduces joy, and undermines relationships. In contrast, intentional Christian formation cultivates humility and gratitude. Gratitude encourages us to recognize every opportunity, relationship, or success as a gift from God to steward wisely. We should remember that gifts are gifts, they are given to us by God. If ingratitude starts us on a path away from God, gratitude turns us around.
Hunger is also an antidote for entitlement. We need an authentic, desperate hunger for God. We also need a holy ambition. There is a kind of sinful, thirsty fame-seeking that we must put to death, but there is a kind of holy ambition that desires to steward well the good gifts God has given us and the one life he’s allowed us to live. In Psalm 90, the psalmist prays “Teach us to number our days so we can apply our heart to wisdom.” Whenever I’m in the position of hiring someone, I will also choose the one who is intentional, the person who is on time for the interview or who pursues the internship or who takes the initiative. I’d rather have someone working for me whom I have to slow down than someone I am forced to coax along. Entitlement gripes. Hunger pursues.
Insecurity
Finally, insecurity is perhaps the most subtle yet devastating of these obstacles. Insecurity cripples leadership, inhibits spiritual growth, and undermines our ability to effectively love and serve others. It manifests in the constant need for validation, excessive sensitivity to criticism, and fear of failure or rejection.
I’ve served with leaders who were gripped by insecurity. It hijacked their leadership and diminished their influence. But a leader who knows God and is known by God can lead with conviction and courage.
We counter insecurity by grounding our identity firmly in the love and acceptance of God. When we understand that our worth is anchored securely in Christ—not performance or the approval of others—we can move forward with confidence and authenticity. Not arrogance, but a spirit-filled assurance that enables bold, joyful, and faithful living.
Intentional practices such as daily Scripture reading, consistent prayer, and active church participation help combat insecurity because these disciplines deeply reinforce our identity in Christ.
Practical Steps Toward Intentional Formation
What spiritual rhythms can move us away from these destructive postures?
Daily Scripture Reading: Building a habit of consistent Bible reading plants seeds of truth that become resources in moments of crisis and confusion.
Active Church Participation: Faithful attendance and involvement in a local church community provide accountability, encouragement, and the regular teaching necessary for spiritual growth.
Prayer: Developing consistent patterns of prayer fosters dependence on God and humility, countering entitlement and insecurity.
Generosity and Forgiveness: Regularly practicing generosity and forgiveness nurtures humility and gratitude, actively opposing entitlement.
Intentional Friendships and Mentorships: Deliberately seeking out mentors, peers, and protégés builds community, resisting isolation and creating networks of mutual growth, accountability, and encouragement.
James K. A. Smith captures this clearly: "There is no formation without repetition. Virtue formation takes practice." Regularly and intentionally engaging in these spiritual disciplines slowly shapes our lives toward spiritual maturity.
The Ultimate Witness: Unity and Love
Francis Schaeffer profoundly stated that our greatest witness to the world is the visible love among Christians. Tragically, this unity is often damaged through needless division, unnecessary conflicts, and prideful stubbornness. Intentional formation involves more than individual disciplines; it involves learning to intentionally love others within the body of Christ.
Love for God must always overflow into authentic love for our fellow Christians and neighbors, transcending superficial differences and disagreements.
Ultimately, intentional formation is about taking responsibility for who we become, recognizing that while we cannot control the circumstances of our future, we can steward the type of person we will be. Author Drew Dyck wisely observes, “We grow as disciples in small steps, a day at a time, over months and years.” Similarly, James K. A. Smith emphasizes the necessity of repetition in virtue formation—disciplines that form character over a lifetime.
Embracing intentional formation today helps us become deeply rooted disciples tomorrow. By actively resisting isolation, entitlement, and insecurity through disciplined spiritual practices, rooted identity, and intentional community, students are prepared not only to live well but to offer meaningful contributions to the world.
The question isn't whether you'll be formed, but how and by what—or whom. Embrace intentional formation today and shaping a future marked by genuine love, profound gratitude, and confident humility, to the glory of God and the good of the world.
We are approaching Easter. You might find my book, The Characters of Easter, helpful.