Vocation, Vocation, Vocation!
In the real estate business, the number-one rule for determining the value of a home is what? Location, location, location! At least, that’s what I found on the Internet when I was looking up the reason why I repeated that word three times in my head when I first thought of the title for this blog post. But this isn’t about location! That was just a way to get your attention! Ha!
Anyway...moving on. We all have something we’re studying in college, right? And sometimes, that thing can be hard. Sometimes that thing can be complicated; sometimes that thing can make us have breakdowns at ten p.m. because there’s just too much to do and too little time to do it. But that thing is going to get you somewhere, someday. There’s a clear path, isn’t there?
Well, not always. We change our majors, our minds, and our paths. College isn’t as much of a clear-cut path as we’d like it to be; it’s more of a narrow, bumpy trail through the woods where you have to look down approximately every two and a half steps or else risk a magnificent fall over an abnormally large tree root.
And it’s a good thing we’re not alone on that path. God is leading us along it every step of the way, helping us to step over the roots, or picking us up after we trip over one. It would make sense, then, that we should serve the One who’s helping us along the path. And that’s what vocation is – it's the way that God is calling us to serve Him while we’re here on Earth, walking that path. A lot of us are in college to find that vocation. Maybe some of us have already discerned the life to which God is calling us, but others haven’t, and that’s okay!
Vocation is different for everyone, and you shouldn’t expect finding yours to feel like God is shouting at you from the heavens, telling you to “go into that career!” or “raise this many kids!” Vocational discovery is more of a journey that doesn’t really have an “end” until we get to heaven. It’s something that can continue throughout your entire life, and it’s all about living for the glory of God. We serve God because He sent His Son to die for us, making it so that we don’t have to walk that twisted forest path alone.
You might find that God’s calling you to glorify Him through service as a pastor or deaconess. Likewise, He might call you to serve Him in a more secular realm, such as teaching in a public school or serving as a nurse in a hospital. He might even call you to serve Him by being a stay-at-home parent and homeschooling your children. But no matter what you end up “doing” with your life, as long as you’re serving God through it, it’s your vocation.
It can be frightening when you don’t feel like you’re on the path to finding your vocation. In this case, what I would say to you is: just trust the One whom you’re serving. Vocation looks quite different for everyone, and there’s often no clear-cut “end” or “destination” when talking about it. Your vocation right now might be wildly different than it will be in ten years, and that’s okay! It’s about serving God; it’s not about glorifying yourself or even relying on yourself to know where to find it.
As college students, many of us are looking for education that will further our chances of getting a career in the field to which God is calling us. In the meantime, though, don’t overlook the vocations that you have right now: as a student, a friend, a family member, or even a part-time employee. Just because you’re still working toward your dream career doesn’t mean that you don’t have a vocation; perhaps it’s just different than you might expect right now. And no matter what your current and future callings may be, keep in mind that through them, you serve God – and if you’re serving God, you’re in the right place.
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