Discovering Your Vocation

In the video for this lesson, Dr. Lennox shares that while your job is what you do to earn a living, your work is more of a calling. Your job is your occupation. Your work is your vocation. Your job is where you earn your money. Your work is what you would do even if you didn’t get paid for it. Frederick Buechner put it this way: “Our work is where our deep gladness meets the world’s great need.”

What do you enjoy doing? What needs do you see in the world? What do others say are your gifts and what you love to do? There are many jobs that can be expressions of a similar vocation. For some people, their job is what allows them to do a completely separate vocation.

In the meantime, Lennox suggests that there are six key features to our jobs. At the same time, he reminds us that all jobs are spiritual, not just spiritual jobs. Here are some of the key spiritual characteristics of our jobs.

1. Your job keeps you from sloth and boredom.
   In 1 Timothy 5, Paul addresses a problem at Ephesus where widows with nothing to do are apparently getting into trouble. There’s an old saying, “Idle hands are the Devil’s workshop.” Jobs are a good way to keep us out of trouble.
2. Your job generates income which brings spiritual responsibility.
   It was during this point that Dr. Lennox mentioned John Wesley’s famous maxim to “Earn all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can.” See the previous landing page for more details. When we have resources, we are able to help others and contribute to goodness in the world.
3. Your job enables you to employ your talents and gifts.
   As we also saw on the previous page with the Parable of the Talents, God expects us to use the talents and resources that he has graciously given us. A job is a good way to do this. Sitting around without using the gifts God has given us is like burying God’s talent in the ground.
4. Your job allows you to help God push back the effects of sin in this world.
   In this world, money and resources provide power. Those in the world with great wealth can use it both for great good and great evil. Yet beyond wealth, our creativity, our intelligence, and the other tools God has given us can be used for good or evil. Because of the Fall, there are many people using their gifts for evil. Why not be someone through whom God pushes back on the effects of the Fall.
5. You are working for God at your job.
   Again, Lennox reminds us that our jobs are spiritual. Our ultimate employer is not our boss. It is God himself. Our jobs are spiritual because we do everything to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). This perspective makes our jobs a sacred task. 
6. Your job glorifies God.
   Lennox’s final point returns to the four relationships. If our relationship with God is right, then the other four relationships should fall into place. When we are working at a job, we are “subduing the earth” (Gen. 1:28). Once again, that makes our job into a sacred task.