I remember sitting around with my college friends talking about what God had in store for our lives. What was He going to call me to do? and could He just do it already so I could plan out the rest of my life, please?

The truth is, had He told me then what I know now, I’m not sure I would have accepted it. Growing up as a missionary kid, I was ready to go wherever He wanted me to go–even the uttermost parts of the earth. But what He asked me to do was be willing to stay. As you can imagine, I have wrestled with that calling throughout my life.

I have come to realize that I viewed my “calling” the wrong way. I always imagined there would be this ONE THING He would ask of me. I figured there was one way for me to leave a mark on this world (I never really considered if that mark would be mine or His). And I was always waiting for Him to let me in on the big secret so I could get the ball rolling.

Here is what I have learned: Your calling isn’t some big thing you will do in the future. It is made up of the little steps you take today in obedience to Him.

It might look like changing dirty diapers, cleaning toilets, teaching a Sunday school class, discipling someone one-on-one, or even holding babies in the nursery. It might be going to a job from 8 to 5 everyday, taking orders from someone who doesn’t share your values, or knowing you can never do enough for the children in your classroom who are hurting.

My mom used to tell me to “bloom where you’re planted,” and I’m pretty sure this is what she meant. Stop waiting for God to show you what He wants you to do in the future, and do what He’s asking you to do now.

You may wonder if you took a wrong turn along the way, didn’t listen to His guiding of your steps, and ended up in the wrong place. Take heart! You are where you are called to be. It might not be as glamorous as you imagined, but as you take those small steps in obedience today, you are storing up treasures in Heaven, where the world’s version of glamorous is a drop in the bucket!