Work can be so much more than a job, or even a career, it can be a vocational calling that is bigger than you.
At it’s most basic, work is a job; something you do to pay the bills, put food on the table, and maybe afford fun things you like to do.
But if that is all work it – a means to an end – then it’s pretty depressing. We will work most of our life (in our physical and mental prime) so that we can spend a bit of time when we are older doing something we like.
At the next level up is career. Our culture tells us to find a career we enjoy that makes a difference, or at least aligns with our values. This isn’t bad, but it isn’t enough. The truth is, not everyone will find that ideal job, every career has it’s toil, and at the end of the day, it’s about what you want to achieve.
This is how I saw my work for much of my post-secondary life, something I could do well and enjoy (at least sometimes). But then I discovered the idea of vocation (thanks in part to Every Good Endeavor by Tim Keller).
Vocation is work you do to contribute to something bigger than yourself, where the goal and outcome are more than a salary and a good feeling. Vocation is about calling. It doesn’t need to be a grandiose project, but rather why you work.
As I started my business, and continue to work entrepreneurially, my understanding of biblical vocation has greatly matured, and it has changed everything.
When we work on something we are called to – no matter how mundane the task – we can find true joy that cannot be taken away, even if the outcome doesn’t seems to be a success.
My encouragement is to seek your vocational calling through prayer, reading the word, and from talking with fellow believers who can challenge and support you on this journey.
~ Sean
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