Jobs, careers, and gifts, oh my! Finding your vocation
Our featured topic this week has been vocation. It’s a word that carries a lot of different meanings and connotations: job, career, calling. For Christians in particular, however, the word refers to something bigger than just holding down a 9-to-5 job or landing a promotion at the office. When we speak of pursuing a vocation, we’re talking not just about day-to-day jobs, but about a lifetime of good works and faithfulness to God.
But obviously, your career is a huge part of your vocation—it’s where you spend much of your time. So what careers should a Christian pursue? Are some career “callings”—such as missionary work of pastoral service—more “Christian” than others? While we might have stereotypes of ministry work as being holier than other jobs, the Bible doesn’t quite make that distinction. In fact, the Bible never lists out what jobs and careers Christians should follow; it merely states that “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Finding your vocation, then, is as much about serving God in your everyday life as it is about finding just the right career. Here are a few resources from the Gospel.com community that can help you think through this:
- Into Thy Word has a good, short introduction to the idea of spiritual gifts—special talents that God has blessed each of us with individually.
- Many Christians try to identify their spiritual talents and then use that knowledge to help them find the place in work, school, and church where they’re best able to serve. The Church Growth Institute has an online test you can take to identify your spiritual gifts.
- The Christian Career Center has many good resources to help you find a vocation that fits your gifts and interests. See their career guidance articles, particularly Making Career Decisions within God’s Will for Your Life and Discovering Your Unique, God-Given Design.
- …and plenty other links to job openings, career counseling, and more at the Jobs page.
Take a look through these resources and see what you can learn about your vocation—what you’re doing now, where you want to be, and how you can serve God with all your heart no matter where He’s placed you.
