Is It Wrong to Feel Validated in My Calling?

Not too long ago, I caught myself in a feel-good moment—the kind of moment that occurs when you’re finally able to sit back and enjoy the results of your hard work and a job well done. Yet, before getting too caught up, I felt a twinge of shame that tried to make me feel guilty.

You see, for just a moment, I felt validated in my calling, and then I wondered, “Is that okay?”

When I decided to write a book, I didn’t think about how much money I would make, what my book would look like on the store shelves, or how it would make me feel when I saw my name on the cover. I merely heard the call of God and obeyed it. 

Fast forward to the week of my book launch. I had set a goal to sell 500 copies, not based on anything specific. I merely picked an arbitrary number, thinking that if at least 500 people read my book, that would be 500 or more lives that could be impacted.  

After setting my goal, I gave the number to God. Within the first few days of the launch, I was over halfway to my goal and I couldn’t help but be excited. As I watched the numbers rise, I felt validated. As my book took the #1 and #2 spots in its respective categories, dopamine flooded my neural pathways.

I gave my time, talents, and gifts back to God and His Kingdom when I wrote the book. It was truly a work of love. Instead of storing up treasures on Earth, I was storing up treasures in heaven, and the thought of that only spurred me to want to do more of the same.

Humble or Proud?

However, since my early Christian days, I’ve been conditioned to stay humble and not be proud of my hard work and accomplishments. Instead, I’ve always thought I was supposed to downplay my achievements rather than celebrate them. After all, aren’t we supposed to give all glory, honor, and praise to God? Yes, yes, and yes. There’s no denying what the Bible says about that:

“Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.” Psalm 96:2-4 (ESV) 

So if all glory and praise are meant for God and only God, then does that mean it is wrong to feel validated in our calling? What if it is God who qualifies the called? If so, then can He not validate us as we find success in our calling?

I’ve come to the conclusion that if it is God who validates us, then there’s absolutely nothing to be ashamed of when we feel validated in our calling, especially when we’ve heard that call and taken steps in obedience to fulfill it. 

The Bible tells us that God made us good and gave us good gifts. When we obey Him and do good things with the gifts He gave us yet stay silent and suppress what He’s done in our lives, we’re not giving the glory to God.

In our effort to stifle the accolades showered on us for a job well done, nobody receives the praise, not even God. And this is the most dishonoring thing we can do when, in fact, God’s word instructs us to share all that the Lord has done! If the world doesn’t know the great things God has done in our lives, how will they ever realize how much they, too, need Him in their lives?

Seven Validating Passages

The next time you are proud of your accomplishments but think you’re supposed to stifle your excitement, take comfort in knowing that it’s perfectly okay to feel validated in your calling. And if you need a little bit of help, I’ve gathered seven passages to encourage you:

1. God created you to do good work:

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

“So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;” Colossians 1:10 (ESV)

2. Let others see the good work that you have done:

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 (ESV)

3. Give credit to God, who gave you the gifts and abilities to do what you do:

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 (ESV)

“Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.” Hebrews 13:15 (ESV)

4. Don’t start thinking your gifts are more special than other people’s gifts:

“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.” Romans 12:6-8 (ESV)

5. When you’re working for the Lord, you’ll stay out of trouble:

“Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” Ephesians 4:28 (ESV)

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9 (ESV)

6. Don’t let your work interfere with the work of the Holy Spirit:

“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (ESV)

7. When you don’t glorify God, but instead take the credit, you’ll miss out on His blessings:

“For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.” Romans 1:21-23 (ESV)

While it may be tempting to get fixated on the numbers and the attention, allowing success to go to your head, don’t believe that there’s anything wrong with simply feeling validated in your calling—as long as you always remember the reason why you started in the first place, who calls and gives you the ability to work and do good things, and why you should always give glory, honor, and praise to God because without Him, you and I are nothing (John 15:5).

Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Prostock-Studio

Jennifer Jabbour resides in the scenic San Diego countryside with her husband, adult son, and teen daughter, and their hilarious English Bulldog. Jennifer has a B.A. in Integrated Business Communications, and is a Go + Tell Gals licensed life coach. Jennifer hopes to use her calling of writing, coaching, and speaking to equip and empower women to clarify their vision and to boldly step forward in response to God's calling on their life, as well as educate and encourage others to experience the abundance of God's goodness when they seek Him first in all that they do. Jennifer is also a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a photographer, and an avid outdoors-woman. She loves camping, hiking, running, and playing the piano in her free time.

You can keep up with Jennifer on her website https://www.jenniferjabbour.com.