The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” ~ Frederick Buechner “Wishful Thinking” (1973)

In Christian circles, we speak of “finding your calling” in life. The biblical concept of calling is more than finding your vocation. It’s a way of living your life centered on Christ and His gospel. For example, I am not only called to preach the gospel, but I am called to live the gospel. These concepts are not mutually the same thing. For many preachers do not practice what they preach.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism, asks, “What is the chief end of man?” It answers this question with “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” This is humanity “chief end” or purpose. While the catechism beautifully portrays humanity’s ultimate purpose, it remains abstract. It doesn’t answer how we find our life’s purpose and path?

The Bible reveals what pleases God, and the Gospel of Christ explains that believing in Christ is our way of glorifying Him. (In short, it’s about his actions, not ours.) However, the Word doesn’t give us details on the individual paths we must walk. This is where discernment, coupled with a lot of prayer, is needed.

Buechner locates calling at the convergence of our intense joy and the world’s desperate longing. I don’t know if Buechner was familiar with the Japanese concept of ikigai, “a reason for being,” but his advice comes close to its principles. Ikigai is the sweet spot where what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for are all aligned. A common visualization of ikigai is a Venn diagram showing four overlapping circles. When these four elements are in harmony, a profound sense of purpose and fulfillment emerges. This convergence is what the Japanese identify as ikigai (or “reason for being”).

Looking at the concept of ikigai through a Christian worldview can be helpful in finding your calling. Honestly ask yourself: what do I love doing? What am I good at? What needs around me can I meet? Can I make a living doing this? It’s beneficial to speak with fellow believers because we all have blind spots and can’t always answer these questions fully by ourselves. But even then, we must carry everything, even the answers we find, to the Lord.

After carefully reflecting on these inquiries, you can unveil your passion, mission, profession, and vocation. Your passion lies where your love and skills meet. You find your mission when your love aligns with the world’s needs. You discover your profession where your abilities meet your livelihood. Lastly, your vocation emerges when the world’s needs and what you can be paid for overlap.

The ikigai philosophy, while insightful, is inherently limited by its man-centered perspective. Only God can reveal his calling and will to us, but these questions, when coupled with prayer and discernment, can be helpful in pointing us in the right direction to discover your calling. But one thing is certain, God’s calling is at the intersection of godly joy and the world’s need.