Called Out by Paula Faris

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Called Out

Why I traded two dream jobs for a life of true calling.

It's not about what you do, it's about who you are.  If I could sum up this book in one sentence, I think that is the sentence I would use.

Paula Faris used to co-host The View, Good Morning America Weekend, and do anything else she was asked to do. She led a crazy work schedule to the detriment of her marriage, her family, her children. Failure was a real fear and always felt just a misstep away.  Then God started getting her attention through some unfortunate events and she started to listen and hear what He was saying. She made some potentially career-ending choices and started a faith podcast with the ABC network. Today, she has more time with her husband, she's home most days when her children come home from school and her podcast is bringing her more fulfillment than she ever imagined.  I hope that is not too much of a spoiler, I am assuming that since this book is true and Paula is a journalist, a lot of people are already familiar with the career aspects of her life.

"When God calls you, he'll equip you. It becomes less about what you can bring to the table and more about being expectant that God will show up."

"The God who'd called me to love God and love people would equip me to express that love through my vocation, whatever that vocation happened to be."

I'm not sure if I can fully put into words how faith and vocation go together, but to say this: follow your faith calling, make your life about sharing God's love and your vocation will follow. Life is not about having the ultimate career, life is about living for God and exemplifying Him to others.

I think about this in my "vocation" as a stay-at-home mom. My biggest calling is to show God to my children. That is way bigger than any crafty, DIY, Pinteresty house project I can do. And I need to remember that because sometimes I sabotage my calling.

I enjoyed this book. It was an easy, but thought-provoking read. It also had some nice aesthetic touches, like the table of contents being spread out over two pages and the page numbers throughout the book being a much bigger font than normal. I just liked that.

I received this book from Bethany House and was not required to write a positive review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

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