You are more than your job.
Thursday, April 22, 2010 at 9:12AM It's not about a job, employment, or an occupation.
In his book, Working, Studs Terkel realized...that working is about the search for daily meaning in the struggle for daily bread. Most people, he found, live somewhere between a grudging acceptance of their job and an active dislike of it. But a recurring theme in [his] interviews is a yearning for a sense of meaning that comes when calling precedes and overaches work and career. -- from The Call, by Os Guiness
What if you lose your job: Do you lose your calling? What if you leave (or are asked to leave) a 'ministry' position: Do you lose your calling?
Not at all. As Gary Barkalow says, "Your calling can't be contained in any single job." Why? Because you take your calling with you wherever you go -- to work, home, friendships: It is your particular splendor - the impact and affect of your life on those around you. It is how you, in particular, shimmer.
Note: "Shimmer" will be the title of my upcoming book on identity. I'll try to give you bits and pieces of it here on the blog as the book takes shape.
Ideally, your 'job' will line up with your calling. Yet there are times, when God (for good reasons) assigns us to a job that doesn't seem to match -- yet he still needs you to bring your splendor and unique brilliance there. Don't underestimate the importance of what you bring, wherever you are.
Reader Comments (4)
Hey Jim,
I agree with you and Gary. If you lose your position, it doesn't change your calling...and a job is not a calling...it's an assignment.
Another thing I remember is that while my calling is from God, I still have to operate in the world which is not generally helpful in callings. The world is a huge battlefield. Sometimes I am in a situation only to bring something to it for a short time and give the people or whatever a taste of something different that might alter everything in the long-run for the better. It's hard not to read into situations in which one is not welcome, but it is part of the game and a strengthening in the calling.
Meredith
Hey Meredith. So true. Sometimes, we're given short-term assignments that don't really tap the core of our gifts, but for some reason, God needs us there for that time -- and our calling isn't just about the gifts, it's about our presence there.
Jim, this is wonderful! My heart is just leaping with the truth that's been shared here. You know how much this teaching on callings has impacted my life and is still doing. Thanks for continuing to develop it. I can’t wait to read your new book.
Thanks, Aida. I'm looking forward to developing the ideas further.