Do Children Know Their Call?

Cover of Stories from the Bible

My great-grandma, Pearlie Mae, used to tell us stories. One story she told was about my grandfather, Mark, and something that he did when he was very little. 


Pearlie Mae had to take her four children to the field where she worked. Mark had been in Sunday School all of his life. The young children who could not work played at the end of the row. 


According to Pearlie Mae, one day Mark found a tree stump and climbed upon it. He then started telling stories from the Bible that he had heard at church. When asked, “Why are you doing this?” He would reply, “Me Preacher, Me Preacher.” Grandma Pearlie Mae told us that Mark did this for years. 


When Mark grew up, he became a preacher. This makes me wonder if some children know their calling at a young age. In the Bible, some people were called at a young age. 

• John the Baptist was called in his mother’s womb. (Luke 1:13; Luke 1:39-45)
• Joseph was just a teenager when he had his dreams. (Genesis 37:5-10)
• Samuel was a boy when God called to him as he tried to sleep. (1 Samuel 3:3-14)
• David was anointed as a youth. (1 Samuel 16:9-12)