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Our vocations seem to be the biggest indicator of our personality, performance and economic status. If you show up at most social events, no one is going to ask you how your relationship with the Lord is doing or how you feel about the shooting that just took place or what role motherhood or fatherhood plays in your life.
But you will always be asked what your vocation is.
The word is derived from the Latin word “vocatio” which means a calling or summons to something. It used to be a religious word saved for those few people called into church work of some kind like priesthood or mission work in Tanzania but over the centuries its scope widened to include all work.
I believe the word “vocation” is a calling that goes beyond ministry work and that it does more than define what you do and how you perform and how much you earn but rather WHO you are in Christ.
Chris Armstrong from Common Good magazine describes “vocation” as the following:
“Meaningful work that fulfills both the Genesis mandate to cultivate and keep the earth and the great commandment to love God and love and serve our neighbors.”
In other words, it is rooted in the doctrines of creation.
In Genesis 1:28, God commands Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.
If we view our work in light of the above definition and if it is rooted in God’s original calling over humanity–then we begin to understand that our work–no matter how secular it seems- should pervade our relationships with each other, our relationship with our community and our relationship with God.
It is through your work that you provide for your family and prepare them for the future.
It is through your work that you build a better community through your products and services.
It is through your work that you are able to improve the world around you including giving back so that other people and communities can thrive.
It is through your work that you point people to God because you understand that it is He that gave you life and talent and purpose and resources.
If you are reading this, you probably already feel this in your bones. Your business is indeed your vocation and your gratitude has led you to
understand your role as a
Better Community Builder.
Let’s continue to bridge the gap between Sunday to Monday and create a network of like-minded business owners eager to live out their vocation in ways that build up people.