Colossians 3:23 (ESV) #verseOfReflection
23 Whatever you do, work heartily,
as for the Lord and not for men
Now that I've made it perfectly clear that all people in the church don't just become pastors, we can continue. If you're interested in a modern day example of this "phenomenon" take a look here.
So, what's my title?! Originally I couldn't think of one and then it clicked, "That is the title!"
What is our motivation for doing all that we do? Who are we really working for? Why do we keep stepping out on this stony road we trod? In this series (as this should be the final part) we've attempted to understand what the words vocation and calling mean, especially in certain contexts. Additionally, there's been talks of dreams among other things. Is this important? I mean, don't people wake up and know who they are or stick to what they wanna be when asked, "What do you wanna be when you grow up?" Do you really know anyone who hasn't lived life according to plan!?
I've been fortunate/blessed to take advantage of amazing opportunities. A lot of people seem to think I fit in wherever I go, not knowing that I'm nothing short of a southern country boy. It's also funny how any person who's southern making contributions to humanity is a story in and of itself. Anyways, before I get taken back by the nostalgia of this moment, the opportunities and taking advantage of them as well as creating them has allowed me to take the path to where I am at this point. These things, a strong faith in God, and an indelible belief that I have a specific purpose and was created in a unique form/fashion with that in mind, is what this whole blogging thing is all about. I want you to get it; really get it!
Not too long ago I was in the running for a job with a highly sought after company which turns away thousands of applicants like it's nothing, due to their extremely (yet relatively understandable) strict standards. While taking in the amazement that God had blessed me with such an opportunity, during the introduction for all the potential candidates we were given an overview of the company. A few key phrases stuck out to me. The guy mentioned that this job, "...gives you a career" and my personal favorite, "...most people find a spouse here." Is that not a legit deal on top of making good money. Or as they say from roun' my way, "that loooooong money." Even in not being interested in a career these were awesome selling points if anyone wasn't sure about getting in the line of work at hand. Mostly I wanted to feel that I would be able to contribute to something bigger than myself and get a sense of satisfaction.
It can give you a career, yet millennials are beyond this whole notion of careerism where we stay somewhere 15-20-30 years until retirement. The world doesn't work like this anymore and as pointed out in the previous entry, we have a lot more to offer due to the progression made over the last so many centuries (decades really). In Courage and Calling, by Gordon T. Smith, he points out that there are a couple "obstacles to vocation": 1)A sacred-secular distinction in the understanding of vocation and 2) Failure to distinguish between vocation, career, or occupation (pg132-135).
For me personally I never had a problem with the first obstacle as illustrated in the Valunteering pt 2 entry, yet the second one came with time; most notably my failure in graduate school. Ya see, I had it all planned out up til I was 25. The rest of my life was an open book as I had been faithful to this point in doing my due diligence, namely what I was "supposed to do" or at a minimum what was expected. The job I wanted and had been trained for was there in my hands, but so was the dilemma of damaging my integrity and reputation for being a man of my word. My identity was tied to what I had done. My vocation, where I was supposed to be. The failure wasn't in missing a mark for classes as much as it was not living up to the expectation I had set, since it had to work out this way.
Answering our calls, finding our vocations, living our dreams is many steps beyond being a careerist. If you settle for just having a career with no sense of purpose, understanding, or delving deep into cultivating your talents and intentionally experiencing growth, I am sorry to say...you will die unsatisfied. Doesn't mean you won't do great things or wondrous exploits; however, going through life and not really getting it before passing from this side is the ultimate failure. Calling and vocation doesn't always have to be centered around what you do either as much as it is tailored to who you are (and who you should be). Being a wife is just as important if not more so than climbing a ladder for recognition and honor; things which easily fade with time especially after you're gone. Your lasting legacy is what you put out into this world, and if it's inclusive of children, they are where your focus should mostly be.
I remember riding in the car with a family up in Pittsburgh and as I was about to be dropped off, one of the moms said, "All these kids going to school and you don't realize that what you're picking..." She was essentially suggesting that you never really know what you're going to get and a lot of people still fall for the okie-doke, thinking that it will work out. "Sorry didn't mean to offend you." In all my bold humility I responded, "No offense taken. My [path of study] was given to me, I didn't choose it." And of course there was a semi-awkward silence, but nothing out of the usually when I pronounce something as such. Perhaps I didn't realize what I was picking originally. That's yet to be determined.
Find your vocation. When God calls, answer. Do not be afraid.
So, what's my title?! Originally I couldn't think of one and then it clicked, "That is the title!"
You go to school get ya degrees and get a job,
so you can make a whole lotta g's 'cause life's hard.
-Lecrae, Truth
What is our motivation for doing all that we do? Who are we really working for? Why do we keep stepping out on this stony road we trod? In this series (as this should be the final part) we've attempted to understand what the words vocation and calling mean, especially in certain contexts. Additionally, there's been talks of dreams among other things. Is this important? I mean, don't people wake up and know who they are or stick to what they wanna be when asked, "What do you wanna be when you grow up?" Do you really know anyone who hasn't lived life according to plan!?
I've been fortunate/blessed to take advantage of amazing opportunities. A lot of people seem to think I fit in wherever I go, not knowing that I'm nothing short of a southern country boy. It's also funny how any person who's southern making contributions to humanity is a story in and of itself. Anyways, before I get taken back by the nostalgia of this moment, the opportunities and taking advantage of them as well as creating them has allowed me to take the path to where I am at this point. These things, a strong faith in God, and an indelible belief that I have a specific purpose and was created in a unique form/fashion with that in mind, is what this whole blogging thing is all about. I want you to get it; really get it!
Not too long ago I was in the running for a job with a highly sought after company which turns away thousands of applicants like it's nothing, due to their extremely (yet relatively understandable) strict standards. While taking in the amazement that God had blessed me with such an opportunity, during the introduction for all the potential candidates we were given an overview of the company. A few key phrases stuck out to me. The guy mentioned that this job, "...gives you a career" and my personal favorite, "...most people find a spouse here." Is that not a legit deal on top of making good money. Or as they say from roun' my way, "that loooooong money." Even in not being interested in a career these were awesome selling points if anyone wasn't sure about getting in the line of work at hand. Mostly I wanted to feel that I would be able to contribute to something bigger than myself and get a sense of satisfaction.
It can give you a career, yet millennials are beyond this whole notion of careerism where we stay somewhere 15-20-30 years until retirement. The world doesn't work like this anymore and as pointed out in the previous entry, we have a lot more to offer due to the progression made over the last so many centuries (decades really). In Courage and Calling, by Gordon T. Smith, he points out that there are a couple "obstacles to vocation": 1)A sacred-secular distinction in the understanding of vocation and 2) Failure to distinguish between vocation, career, or occupation (pg132-135).
For me personally I never had a problem with the first obstacle as illustrated in the Valunteering pt 2 entry, yet the second one came with time; most notably my failure in graduate school. Ya see, I had it all planned out up til I was 25. The rest of my life was an open book as I had been faithful to this point in doing my due diligence, namely what I was "supposed to do" or at a minimum what was expected. The job I wanted and had been trained for was there in my hands, but so was the dilemma of damaging my integrity and reputation for being a man of my word. My identity was tied to what I had done. My vocation, where I was supposed to be. The failure wasn't in missing a mark for classes as much as it was not living up to the expectation I had set, since it had to work out this way.
Answering our calls, finding our vocations, living our dreams is many steps beyond being a careerist. If you settle for just having a career with no sense of purpose, understanding, or delving deep into cultivating your talents and intentionally experiencing growth, I am sorry to say...you will die unsatisfied. Doesn't mean you won't do great things or wondrous exploits; however, going through life and not really getting it before passing from this side is the ultimate failure. Calling and vocation doesn't always have to be centered around what you do either as much as it is tailored to who you are (and who you should be). Being a wife is just as important if not more so than climbing a ladder for recognition and honor; things which easily fade with time especially after you're gone. Your lasting legacy is what you put out into this world, and if it's inclusive of children, they are where your focus should mostly be.
I remember riding in the car with a family up in Pittsburgh and as I was about to be dropped off, one of the moms said, "All these kids going to school and you don't realize that what you're picking..." She was essentially suggesting that you never really know what you're going to get and a lot of people still fall for the okie-doke, thinking that it will work out. "Sorry didn't mean to offend you." In all my bold humility I responded, "No offense taken. My [path of study] was given to me, I didn't choose it." And of course there was a semi-awkward silence, but nothing out of the usually when I pronounce something as such. Perhaps I didn't realize what I was picking originally. That's yet to be determined.
Find your vocation. When God calls, answer. Do not be afraid.
Sumthn2Ponder (s2p):
- What's my title?
- Who am I?
Links for Consideration(L4C):
