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Your Vocation, Your Calling
Family of God has two seminary students whose calling in life right now is to be students of theology. Perhaps they might be called to the ordained ministry. That is to be determined. For all
of us, we are faced with the question of our life and what we are going with it.
The word vocation comes from the Latin word “vocare” which translates to "call, or what a person
is called to do by God". There is no voice speaking directly to you. It is a challenge, maybe thee challenge in life to figure out whether the call is your own self interest or the voice of God. Getting those two things twisted around happens easily.
Fredrick Buchner gives these two guides to help make the determination. The kind of work God calls you to do is usually (a) what you need most to do (b) what the world most needs to have done. If you really get a kick out of your work you’ve met requirement (a), but if your work is writing TV deodorant commercials, the chances are you’ve missed (b). If, on the other hand, your job is to be a doctor in a leper colony you have probably met requirement (b) but if most of the time you are depressed and not challenged, you have probably missed point (a).
We are gifted in this journey of Lent to ask ourselves and God the most important questions of our life. That question is…who am I and what am I doing with my life? How you answer that means everything. Each one of us from time to time needs to pull out that question and reflect. The answer, after prayer will emerge in our heart. It won’t be a voice. It will be a combination of feelings, thoughts and facts. You might think and feel your calling is to be on Olympic skier. But if your age is 64, the facts don’t match. Part of knowing your calling is knowing your gifts. This biblical concept asks you to determine what you are good. If you are frightened to death of public speaking, you might want to avoid the ordained ministry.
Maybe in the end your calling is this: the place where your calling or vocation should be is where your deepest gladness and the world’s deepest hunger meet.
See you in church,
Pastor Gary |
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