With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.  2 Thessalonians 1:11 NIV

My first calling – a profession

“Passion is inside; a calling comes from outside.” Karen Swallow Prior, You Have a Calling

I was a 21-year-old college senior and hadn’t been able to sleep the night before my first faculty orientation meeting. That morning, I’d donned a skirt, blouse, pantyhose, and low heels in an attempt to look like a school teacher. Before the meeting, they served breakfast, which I couldn’t eat as my stomach growled and roiled. I stood nervously when introduced and folded my hands in different positions, trying to find a confident pose. Can I do this? What if I fail?

From Wisdom Builds Her House:

“The superintendent stepped to the podium and spoke about summer programs, giving special attention to remedial reading. A quiet hum relaxed my body. There were real problems in this school and students who needed assistance.

“At that moment, I found my mission. I vowed to help my students learn, to give them a chance in a world that could be cruel and hard for the poorly educated and those without study skills. Though I experienced a few nervous moments during my career, I never again felt anxious as a teacher. And I never gave up on my students. Ever. I focused on what they needed and designed lesson plans accordingly.”

My second calling – a leap of faith

“Even if the sense of our calling is felt within, the actual call comes from other people—and ultimately, we trust as believers, from God.” Karen Swallow Prior, You Have a Calling

July 1996, six months after our baptism and one month after my father died, my children and I were on vacation, driving on 95 South from Dulles Airport toward Richmond, heading for Williamsburg and Busch Gardens. Jessica was sixteen, David twelve, and we lived in Texas. 

Virginia’s lush greenery lined the highway, and traffic swirled around us. Suddenly, all sound and images faded except for the trees and sky. I smelled and heard their colors, hues of green and blue. Time and space seemed suspended. A gentle breeze from an unknown source caressed my face and raised the hair on my arms. I relaxed my hands on the steering wheel. An inaudible, deep voice boomed inside my head. This is home. This is home.

A few years later, I heard that voice again. A dear friend had come for dinner, and at the end of the evening, as we walked to her car, I looked back at my Texas house. Again, all sound and imagery faded, except the front door of the house. I smelled the twilight and felt the gentle breeze. My body calmed, and time suspended. Then I heard the deep, booming voice in my head. You will not be staying here. The voice startled me, again. I told my friend, a believer. We both knew Who it was, no question.

From Wisdom Builds Her House:

“And so, I applied for jobs on the east coast, closer to Mother, while renovating and cleaning out my house. Keep. Pitch. Give away. When offered the position of Academic Dean at Ursuline Academy of Dallas, the job I’d wanted for years, I turned down the offer. Saying no thank you was surprisingly easy because I knew I was supposed to be somewhere else, though I had no idea where. In due time, I would know.”

My third calling – the first, at last

“This is the first calling of every human being: to bear witness to the God who created the world.” Karen Swallow Prior, You Have a Calling

Indeed, in due time, I did know where. In 2002, I sold my Texas house and moved to Baltimore to fulfill a new position as a curriculum technologist, another leap of faith. Soon after, I met Keith under even more impossible circumstances. We married in 2006, built the mountain house where we now live, and became writers—all as if meant to be.

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My faith memoir Wisdom Builds Her House tells the story of how God led me to find—at last—the first calling of every human being. Excerpts on my blog here and here.

If you would like to journal your way through my journey, a companion guide to Wisdom Builds Her House releases Wednesday, August 20, 2025 on Amazon. For blog subscribers: I’ll add the link for The Wisdom Journal to Wednesday’s Cutting Room Floor.