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The Chosen Trap: When Doing Something Big for God Misses the Point
317 Plays1 month ago
"You don't need to know the whole map. You just need to take the next faithful step."
Episode Description:
Ever feel like your calling has to be epic to matter to God? The Chosen Trap seduces us with grand visions and spiritual pressure—but often leads to burnout or disillusionment. We’ll talk about how to discern between God’s quiet invitations and our own need to be “important” in the Kingdom.
In this episode of Be. Make. Do., hosts Lisa Smith and Dan ABH explore the trap of trying to control your calling, and how to find freedom in faithful, creative partnership with God. Through biblical reflection, personal insight, and powerful film examples, you’ll learn how to discern between divine invitation and performance anxiety.
Helpful Resources:
- Download your FREE Vocation Trap Tracker: www.soulmakers.org/bemakedo
- Discover Your Artist Archetype → Take the Free Quiz at soulmakers.org
- Download the Full Artist Archetypes Guide for deeper insight: www.soulmakers.org/bemakedo
- Read Samuel Wells' book, Improvisation: The Drama of Christian Ethics
- Read the article, Vocation's Unbroken Chain: Biblical Call Stories and the
Experience of Vocation by Chris Keeton - Read the article, Understanding Vocation: Discerning and Responding to God's Call by Don Thompson
Connect & Share:
- Subscribe to Be. Make. Do. for more in the Vocation Traps series
- Share this episode with a friend or creative you know
- Join the conversation on socials using #VocationTrapsPodcast
- Join our brand new Instagram Broadcast Channel!
Up Next: Join us for a conversation with author of Brand Something Beautiful, Steve Brock.
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Themes and Hosts
00:00:00
Speaker
Ever feel like your calling has to be epic to matter? The chosen trap seduces us with grand visions and spiritual pressure, but that often leads to burnout. In this episode, we'll talk about how to discern between God's quiet invitations and our own need to know and control the plan.
00:00:28
Speaker
Hello, welcome back to Be Make Do, a Soulmakers podcast, where we explore what it takes to live out your call in the arts with spiritual wholeness and creative freedom. I'm your host, Lisa Smith, here with my producer, Danny BH.
00:00:41
Speaker
Hello, everyone. And it is our passion to encourage you to become who you were created to be, make what you were created to make, and do what you were created to do.
Exploring Vocation Traps
00:00:51
Speaker
Now this season, we're exploring the vocation traps.
00:00:54
Speaker
As we've said, there are sneaky mindset detours that can derail your sense of purpose. Things like the security trap, where applause feels like purpose, the happiness trap, where chasing good vibes leaves you empty, the hero trap, where saving the world becomes your burden, and the chosen trap, where doing big things for God gets you burned out.
00:01:16
Speaker
And in this episode, we'll take a look at this final vocation trap, the chosen trap. Now, this episode is for those of us who spend a little too much time worrying about whether or not we're on track with God's plan for our lives and creative work.
00:01:34
Speaker
We're living faithfully, but getting fixated on the details of what God is asking us to do.
Joy in Creation vs. Big Picture Pressure
00:01:40
Speaker
And maybe taking on some pressure, like, what if I don't get it right and I mess it all up?
00:01:45
Speaker
Will I let God down? So is it okay to let go of the big picture a little and spend more time in the joy of the everyday, the joy of just creating, just expressing, just playing?
00:02:01
Speaker
if you've ever worried that you'll never get to fulfill your potential or do that thing that you were meant to do, or if you're frustrated because you have the vision, but who am I anyway, right? No one's going to care.
00:02:14
Speaker
or you have so much to express and give but get worn down by the cynicism and fear that's so pervasive, you might be caught in what I call the chosen trap.
00:02:26
Speaker
Let's get started. Let's do it.
Vocation Traps and Spiritual Disguise
00:02:38
Speaker
Don't forget to download our free vocation trap tracker tool that's designed especially to be able to track the progress as we go through the vocation traps, but also assess where you're likely to get stuck and then give you lots of exercises and tools for reflection, as well as space to just explore on the page.
00:02:59
Speaker
One of the sneaky things about the traps is that they're really dealing with hidden fears, things that we're not maybe even as conscious of. So having the opportunity to take a pen or any kind of writing implement or coloring tool and just being able to put that to page can bring to surface things that maybe we don't think about as much.
00:03:20
Speaker
So I really invite you to download the tracker and really dig Find out what you need to explore deeper and bust through those traps to freedom. You can find it at our website, soulmakers.org slash be make do or find the link in the show notes.
00:03:43
Speaker
Okay, I'm a little hesitant to talk about this one because I think it's easy to misunderstand or maybe even dismiss. It's sneaky. It wears a spiritual disguise.
00:03:54
Speaker
So for each of these traps, we've been asking a question. For the chosen trap, we're asking, what am I called to do for God?
00:04:05
Speaker
that sounds pretty holy, but it can actually keep us anxious, stuck, and spinning. So today we're going to pull back the curtain on this trap and talk about what it really means to partner with God in your calling without trying to do it for God.
00:04:21
Speaker
This might resonate particularly for some of the prophetic critics, the storytellers, imaginative visionaries that are listening, especially those of us raised in evangelical or mission-minded circles.
00:04:32
Speaker
It starts out with a passionate desire to see God's promises manifest and slowly turns into a personal mission to make things. God's promises come to fruition in our timing and way.
00:04:47
Speaker
So the chosen trap is defined by needing to know and control God's grand plan for my life. We'll talk more about biblical characters and calling in an upcoming episode, but Abraham is a great character to keep in mind for this one. He legitimately had good reasons to behave as though there was a grand plan that God was carrying out through his life, but he exhibits the same tendencies to over-control that we're going to talk about.
00:05:15
Speaker
So we'll come back to him later, but for now, how do you know if you're in the chosen trap?
Evaluating Personal Traps
00:05:22
Speaker
Okay, so let's think of a way to evaluate whether or not this is your trap.
00:05:26
Speaker
Think about when you're making a decision. Maybe it's about your career or about what you're going to make next or or what you need to focus on. When you're in that process of discernment, do you ever find yourself stopping to wonder if what you're working on really matters?
00:05:43
Speaker
Especially when there's such big problems in the world. Do you have that conversation with yourself? Or do you ever feel guilty? and wonder if your time should be spent doing something more important, like focusing on one of those big picture problems.
00:05:58
Speaker
Or maybe you feel like you are living out your calling, but you're constantly wondering if you're on track with what God has for you and uncertain of what God wants you to do next.
00:06:09
Speaker
Or maybe you even feel intense pressure to just discover or achieve some big purpose in life. Or, On the other hand, maybe you feel strongly that you have a destiny. You were born to do this thing that God has gifted you and filled you with creative vision, but you're frustrated by a lack of opportunity or time or resources.
00:06:31
Speaker
Maybe you wonder if you're too old or too young. Or maybe you feel like something else or someone else is standing in your way. Whatever the circumstances, you're wondering when and how God is going to change things so you can finally fulfill your calling.
00:06:48
Speaker
These frustrations are real. I've been there. But it's really good to stop and ask, where is that frustration coming from? Whose timeline are you on? And who says the circumstances are wrong?
00:07:02
Speaker
Okay, so remember, each of the vocation traps gets you stuck because of where it asks you to gaze. In the chosen trap, I think it's kind of like being obsessed with a crystal ball.
00:07:15
Speaker
We want a clear set of answers and a clear path to God's specific, perfect path for each choice along the way because we want to get it right.
00:07:26
Speaker
And we want things to go well or we want to do the right thing. It's coming from a good place, but we're getting fixated in this crystal ball. Well, it's like this trap can really get you out of nowhere.
00:07:41
Speaker
It's like like you just said, you're either paralyzed by guilt that your work isn't important enough. or you're consumed with this frustration because the big thing you feel called to hasn't even arrived yet.
00:07:57
Speaker
And i I love that crystal ball metaphor. It feels super spot on It's like you spent all your energy trying to see the future instead of just like living and creating in the present.
00:08:10
Speaker
And like I said before in previous episodes, You're future tripping. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. It's all future tripping. And so you're trying to, you want to know every little thing.
00:08:22
Speaker
yeah And it it is dangerous, this trap, just like all of the traps. It's kind of similar to the hero trap, but um in some ways I think it can be more insidious because it has a religious overtone to it.
00:08:37
Speaker
the the The destiny piece can look like a savior complex where we believe that God needs us to accomplish something for him, which then leads to an impulse to control things, kind of getting into this mindset where I see what God is doing.
00:08:54
Speaker
Now I need to make it happen. It's that second part that's the problem. gonna make it happen. Instead of recognizing that we've been invited into partnership with God and we have to trust his way of doing things and his timing, which can be really, really difficult.
00:09:11
Speaker
But over time, when we get stuck in this trap, it's possible for our motivations to become conflicted and we can over-spiritualize this big picture goal that we see or or have created in our own minds and undervalue the importance of everyday actions and faithfulness.
00:09:33
Speaker
And I'll just say, you'll see, this is the same place that we land for each of the traps is undervaluing these everyday actions and faithfulness.
Focus on Small Steps
00:09:41
Speaker
But in this chosen trap where we're focusing on the big picture, the problem here is like, for instance, if we're if we're focusing exclusively on that grand scale or end result and we can't be satisfied or enjoy anything until that is accomplished, basically we end up in this place where everything else is failure in our minds.
00:10:04
Speaker
But the problem is a big picture goal is just a bunch of little steps all added up. So ironically, focusing on something too big, it isn't actionable. It's not practical.
00:10:15
Speaker
And so we can never get anywhere because we're not focusing on the little things that get us to a bigger thing. Another way that that can play out when we think about when we're focused on that big picture and controlling is it can seem as if calling, when it's too big, that it doesn't apply to everyone, that only the great or the chosen people have a calling.
00:10:39
Speaker
So actually the chosen trap can also show up as an I'm not chosen trap, right? i'm not I'm not chosen. I'm not special enough to be called Or maybe kind of a slight variation on that is that only the work of those who become famous and influential is truly valuable.
00:10:57
Speaker
And if I can't hit that level, then why even bother? So when we're in those spaces, two things can happen. Either we get overwhelmed and paralyzed or we overfunction and make rash decisions.
00:11:11
Speaker
So we get paralyzed into inaction because we're afraid to move without divine confirmation or because we feel inadequate or we're waiting for the circumstances to turn in our favor.
00:11:22
Speaker
And from a creative standpoint, this inaction is one of the worst parts of the chosen trap because it leads to just wasting time, wasting talent and wasting energy waiting to find our true purpose or know the next right step.
00:11:39
Speaker
This chosen mindset denies that God has said that all work matters, that you matter regardless of what you're producing. On the other hand, we may overwork trying to turn circumstances into our favor.
Sacrifices and Fear in Pursuit of Calling
00:11:55
Speaker
So in the first part, we get we get paralyzed into inaction, or the other way to go is the other side of the corn, and we go into overdrive. As we work tirelessly to try to make something happen on God's behalf, in worst case scenario that our motivations can get twisted.
00:12:13
Speaker
And we can start to believe that the ends justify the means or whatever action is necessary to achieve the goal, whether or not it's in line with our values is justifiable.
00:12:24
Speaker
We might even sacrifice relationships or damage people or sacrifice our own health or even ironically sacrifice our creativity and this desire to make it happen.
00:12:36
Speaker
And of course, these things don't happen intentionally. It happens slowly over time. That's why it's a trap. When we get tunnel vision focusing on the problem we're trying to solve or focusing on the scarcity of the resources or getting sucked into the hopelessness brought about by the reality of sin in the world,
00:12:59
Speaker
It's possible to become tempted to believe harsh measures are necessary for change. And we forget or we start doubting the power of God's abundance.
00:13:11
Speaker
Maybe we start to doubt the power of prayer and the genuine, real impact of being a living example of a countercultural love, countercultural peace and joy and faithfulness.
00:13:25
Speaker
and ultimately dealt the power of creating and putting life-giving created work out into the world. That's why this is such a trap. It's a twisted version of something beautiful.
00:13:40
Speaker
Because God does invite us into His work. He does give us gifts. But when we start believing that our job is to discover and execute some secret divine assignment or fulfill some mystical destiny, we fall into a dangerous mindset.
00:13:58
Speaker
And this trap is really hard for those of us who really want to do God's will. Like it comes from a desire to be faithful and dedicated, but it turns into a trap when it becomes fueled by fear.
00:14:11
Speaker
And we start wondering, if I don't fulfill my potential, will I hear God say, well done, or will he be disappointed in me? So once again, ah look at what's underneath a trap reveals unaddressed fears and insecurity dressed up as spiritual devotion.
00:14:31
Speaker
Just like all the other traps, what we're really talking about here is not being aware of the fear underneath what's driving us. So as we looked at the artist's archetypes, we looked at the things that God put in us, our natural um creative impulses, the way that we see the world.
00:14:53
Speaker
All of those things are good as as part of what motivates us to create. And paying attention to that helps us to make decisions about what we do and to own our sense of identity in our creative lives.
00:15:05
Speaker
But the other side of that coin is to take a look at the fears, if they're unaddressed, that also can be driving our motivations. And once we become aware of that, we can address them and then operate out of our archetype motivations instead of our fears and really try to pursue our creative calling with complete freedom and
Mindset Shift to Faithfulness
00:15:28
Speaker
abandon. Yeah.
00:15:29
Speaker
So in The Chosen Trap, basically, we're afraid of wasting our lives. We're afraid we're not good enough. We think that God needs us to change the world, but we don't feel up to the task.
00:15:41
Speaker
We're afraid of letting God down or not living up to our potential. So like I said, we either try to make things happen in our own strength and timing, or we freeze, waiting for a divine moment that never comes.
00:15:55
Speaker
Which is ironic because we want to be faithful, we end up living anxiously because we've confused being faithful with being in control. And we know that those aren't the same thing. So for the creative or artists listening who recognizes themselves in that description, you know, like living anxiously because they're trying to control the plan.
00:16:15
Speaker
Not that, not that I would ever, ever try to do that. yeah What's, what's the very first step away from that? And what does a different mindset look like?
00:16:27
Speaker
Yeah, just like all of the traps, it's just a mindset shift. It's becoming aware of these these fears and refocusing o ourselves on God. So taking our eyes off that crystal ball and putting our eyes on God and who God is.
00:16:43
Speaker
And like I said, this one is, this is what is a sneaky, sneaky trap because it hits those of us who have a genuine desire to be faithful, to serve God. wherere we're We're trying to serve you know the gifts that God has given us as creative people.
00:16:58
Speaker
And we have actually an admirable sense of responsibility to use those gifts and our lives well in service of God's purposes. So that's a good motivation. That's a good thing.
00:17:11
Speaker
And it legitimately is really hard when you can see what's possible and yet it seems so impossible to realize. But that's why it's so important to keep our mindset shift happening to release us from this trap to keep our eyes in the right direction.
00:17:27
Speaker
Because while we are called with those things, while those impulses to serve in those ways are good, the Bible teaches us not to be heroic savior figures, but rather to be saints.
00:17:41
Speaker
So I referenced earlier in an earlier episode a book called Improvisation by Samuel Wells, when we're talking about the five-act play. um But he also talks about this idea of training ourselves to be saints versus heroes.
00:17:55
Speaker
And basically, forget the like holy language about saints. Oh, you know, it's not like some special out there person. It's the idea of being the church, the body of Christ.
00:18:07
Speaker
What does it look like to be children of light, you know, who are who are walking in the world? Yeah. Saints are basically, they're upside down backward people who just basically ah in most instance instances look like total failures to the outsider because they live in this way of faithfulness that looks really backwards.
00:18:29
Speaker
These kinds of people see their weaknesses as strengths. They see being last as an opportunity to practice what it should look like to be first.
00:18:42
Speaker
And they call that way of being in the world faithfulness. What they value most is wisdom, not bravery or intelligence or cleverness or opportunisticness or strength.
00:18:56
Speaker
This faithfulness plays out in the way they approach their lives and their work. acting from a place of assuming the abundance of the truly good resources that are never in short supply, no matter the circumstances, resources like love, joy, peace, faithfulness, gentleness.
00:19:15
Speaker
And because they don't presume scarcity, they're then there's no need for violence, no need for coercion, no need for rash action. They live a life of complete freedom, unafraid of honest failures and mistakes, because as Wells writes, they understand that beauty comes through the brokenness like light through the crack.
Community and Trust vs. Control
00:19:36
Speaker
The beauty of restoration. And best of all, they're never alone because they're located within community, joyfully dependent on God and on one another, not their own strength.
00:19:51
Speaker
Instead of taking center stage and confusing our role with the Savior role or trying to be God's right-hand dude carrying out a set of orders, the invitation just to enjoy being a disciple, to just enjoy being a child of God.
00:20:09
Speaker
What we're trying to gear our minds towards is that acting in faithfulness and responding to God's faithfulness in the everyday allows you to develop a deep trust in God's provision.
00:20:23
Speaker
This helps you embrace uncertainty. Throw away that crystal ball. And that gives you the freedom to act with confidence, knowing God is going to give you what's needed to fulfill the task when it's time.
00:20:37
Speaker
We don't need a crystal ball. We already know what we need to. Here's what God actually asks of us. To know Him. To abide in Christ.
00:20:49
Speaker
To love mercy, do justice, and walk humbly. To use our gifts in faith and love and service. These aren't secret missions.
00:21:00
Speaker
They're daily invitations. And when you show up faithfully in the present, your purpose, your calling— Your life, your creative path, it just unfolds naturally without needing to crack some divine code.
00:21:16
Speaker
So remind yourself, you don't need to know the whole map. You just need to take the next faithful step. And that is a lot easier to say than really live out.
00:21:28
Speaker
Because I will say that as we've been going through this Chosen Trap series, Dan, I am so convicted as we're writing and nailing this down. And I have these things in my head now.
00:21:41
Speaker
I mean, thank God, I'm really glad for it over and over again when I find myself getting anxious about, oh gosh, well, what How do I make this decision? What's the next thing? Is it enough? All of these things that I find myself thinking at different times, I just remind myself, just do the faithful actions that are required today and trust that God's gonna take care of tomorrow.
00:22:01
Speaker
And it is the answer every single time, but it is so important to have that reinforced. That's why being in a community of people who are trying to kind of work in this way together is so great because it's reinforced by the people around me,
00:22:16
Speaker
It's reinforced by this work that we do on the podcast and it it really is freeing. So I'm grateful for this for me.
Identifying and Escaping Traps
00:22:24
Speaker
Yeah, I totally agree. i think it's really affirming to bring up these things that look like they're mistakes, but they're not mistakes.
00:22:33
Speaker
They're traps and there are ways to get out of it. And I think that... All of these traps, whether or not at this very moment, you're not, you didn't fall into yet. You you you might at some point as you grow, as you mature as a person, as an artist, as as whatever.
00:22:52
Speaker
Yeah, I think that's why the vocation trap tracker is such a fun and helpful tool because, you know, that first page is just coloring in a circle for each of the questions that that you resonate with in each trap. And find myself coloring in a lot of circles.
00:23:10
Speaker
Even in traps that I don't, you know, maybe there's just one one ring of the circle for a particular trap and I've got three and another one. But just, you know, being able to come back to it over time, it's not like, ah once again, this is not a personality thing. it's It's sort of where you are at the time. You can get stuck in any of these um places. ah We all have fears and doubts that trip us up.
00:23:36
Speaker
And it really is such a great little tool to become aware of. Am I, am I, thinking these things? Am I worried about this decision? am i Am I doing this thing because it's legitimate that I need to worry about it? Or is it that I've got this underneath stuff? So it's it's really helpful to have something like the tracker where you can work work it out for yourself and actually take some concrete steps to get out of that thinking and and take that mindset shift.
00:24:00
Speaker
so go check out the Vocation Trap Tracker on our website, soulmakers.org. And so as we wrap up, can we talk in a very specific way about the impact that The Chosen Trap has on on specifically creatives and artists?
00:24:18
Speaker
Okay, so here's the thing about how this is specific to artists. Like all Christians can get stuck in these. And the antidote to all of the traps is the same. It's faithfulness to God, attention to everyday actions, to relationships, opportunities.
00:24:35
Speaker
accepting the circumstances that we're in, whatever they are, as opportunities for growth and development rather than excuses or hindrances, and and having faith that our work is a partnership with God and we can trust God with the outcome of our work.
00:24:51
Speaker
But the reason why this is so poisonous for artists is because i have heard so many Christians in the arts get stuck either not creating or becoming discouraged with what they're creating because they feel like they don't know what God wants them to do or they don't know which thing God wants them to do.
00:25:15
Speaker
Or maybe they do feel like they know what God is calling them to do and they don't get the reception that they think they should get with maybe the aha moments from the audience or the appreciation or somebody moving towards faith or taking some sort of step or acceptance by their audience or by the church, whatever that is.
Creative Work as Partnership with God
00:25:36
Speaker
They're not getting that feedback that tells them it's going well. So they start to believe that they're doing something wrong. And then they stop creating or they get depressed or they isolate.
00:25:47
Speaker
And what I'm trying to do is make these ways of thinking visible as traps. Getting into cycle of thinking about what you are supposed to do as a creative in order to be faithful or okay or whatever trap. Right?
00:26:06
Speaker
Thinking that whether or not you're being faithful can be measured by what other people are saying or even how it makes you feel is trap. It's a trap that is keeping you from accepting the invitation that God has freely given you to work in partnership with Him through the use of your gifts wherever you are.
00:26:29
Speaker
At whatever level you're at, whatever your circumstances are, in whatever way you can, freely, joyfully, without guilt or pressure, trying to show up each day as a beginner.
Recap and Next Episode Teaser
00:26:46
Speaker
completely dependent on God and faithfully trusting that God is using today's work, today's challenges, today's joys to develop you into who you were created to be.
00:27:02
Speaker
And along the way, you will do what you were created to do. Because if you work in this way, you can't help it. Walk in the ways of God, in the will of God, and what you create will will be his will for your life and work.
00:27:21
Speaker
So those are the vocation traps, the security trap, the happiness trap, the hero trap, and the chosen trap. And no matter what trap you might find yourself in at any given time, whatever fears are going on underneath there, it all requires the same mindset shift to daily faithfulness and shifting your eyes, your focus towards God.
00:27:46
Speaker
Don't forget to download the Vocation Trap Tracker. There are really great questions and exercises in there that can help you do that refocusing, become aware of those fears underneath so that you can get free and truly become who you were created to be, make what you were created to make, and do what you were created to do.
00:28:07
Speaker
Join us next time when Steve Brock, author of Brand Something Beautiful, joins us to talk getting unstuck, reframing our thinking, and branding as a creative. Thanks for listening to Be Make Do, a Soulmakers podcast. Join our brand new Instagram broadcast channel at Be Make Do Podcast for exclusive content, episode-related polls, behind the scenes, and a chance to have conversations with us.
00:28:33
Speaker
We'd love to hear from you. All links for this episode are located in our show notes.