Figure Out Your Divine Assignment

Contributed by: Ginger Rothhaas, Compassion Fix

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There are innumerable causes out there that could use our support—people and communities in need, crises that arise, natural disasters—things that make us feel stirred to action. Things that make us feel like we should do something. That we should help in a big way.

Figuring out what, exactly, we should do can feel overwhelming, though. And that’s where we often can get stuck. We’re quick to talk ourselves out of action by saying “I don’t have what it takes,” or “someone is already doing it.” Thanks to self-doubt, we take away the opportunity to find purpose through helping.

We all think we need to have this giant purpose, that we have to swoop in and be a Hero. But in reality, it’s much smaller and simpler than that. It’s as easy as asking yourself: “what is mine to do?”

Question yourself when you feel a stirring: is there some small assignment that feels like you’re being chosen to do? A baby step toward your calling? Often, your purpose uncovers itself in small ways, and what you need shows up without you realizing it.

We will never feel ready or fully equipped for our callings. We will always doubt our abilities, timing, credentials, power, and resources. That’s all part of a calling. If we say yes to our assignment, though, we help others and lift ourselves up at the same time.

Assignments feel like they come from a higher power. They feel like an epiphany about how you can help humanity suffer less or find hope. Your assignment feels like a nudge. It’s a stir to take even the smallest of actions, which can end up making a very big difference. If you feel that stir, it’s yours to do.

You’ve figured out your divine assignment.

We are each being called to different actions. That thing that breaks your heart, that issue you’ve been enraged about, those people in need who you can't stop thinking about, that idea for a solution that has come to you, unbidden—those are divine inspirations, signs of a calling. Go with them. Explore them.

Each and every one of us will hear callings throughout our lives. We all have a part in making the world a more compassionate place. Life has more meaning and purpose when we say yes to those nudges and callings.

So listen to that voice deep down inside. Figure out what feels like your assignment and take a small step toward it. It is yours to do.

TRY THESE

To help figure out what your assignment could be, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Who do you want to advocate for? Here are a few examples, to get you started:

·       Children?

·       Animals?

·       Adolescents?

·       The unhoused?

·       Those living with illness?

·       People of a certain age?

2. What breaks your heart in the world? Where do you feel like a difference needs to be made? Here are a few examples, to get you started:

·       Hunger?

·       Domestic violence?

·       Foster care?

·       Poverty?

·       False incarceration?

·       Equality?

·       Human rights?

·       The environment?

3.      Look at the things you do all day for people. What forms of helping bring you joy? Think about how you could build on those forms to help more people.

4.     What’s your current capacity to help, time-wise and resource-wise?

5.     Write on the top of a piece of paper: “what is mine to do?” Now pray, meditate, sit in silence, connect to your higher power and ask: “what would you have me do? Whom would you have me serve? Where would you have me go?” Then sit in silence and see what comes to you. You may have to do this a few times, but hints, nudges, and ideas will arrive and you will begin to see what is yours to do.

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Ginger Rothhaas, MBA, MDiv. is a seminary trained compassion coach who teaches about compassion at the intersection of neuroscience and spirituality. She is the founder of Compassion Fix Coaching, and she has written a book of mental health practices titled Being Human: 150 Practices to Make it Easier. She lives in Kansas City with her husband, their two teenage children, and two very enthusiastic dogs.

You can find Ginger at:

Websites: gingerrothhaas.com, compassionfix.com

Facebook and Instagram: @gingerrothhaas and @compassionfix

New Book: Being Human