{"id":396,"date":"2016-12-07T19:16:05","date_gmt":"2016-12-07T19:16:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/?p=396"},"modified":"2016-12-08T22:37:57","modified_gmt":"2016-12-08T22:37:57","slug":"what-is-your-vocation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2016\/12\/what-is-your-vocation.html","title":{"rendered":"What Is Your Vocation?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Man<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cVocation is the place where our deep gladness meets the world\u2019s deep need.\u201d \u2013 Frederick Buechner<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

What gives you deep gladness? What activity makes you so happy that you lose track of time when doing it?\u00a0 What activity invigorates you and gives you a sense of purpose?\u00a0 That activity is the key to discovering your vocation.<\/p>\n

God created each of us uniquely. And He created each of us for a very specific purpose.\u00a0 That purpose is to in some way \u201cmeet the world\u2019s deep need.\u201d\u00a0 The question we each have to ask ourselves is this:\u00a0 In what way am I <\/em>supposed to meet the world’s deep need?<\/p>\n

I think that many of us approach this question in the wrong way. We first identify a world problem \u2013 hunger, injustice, abuse, poverty \u2013 and then we say to ourselves, \u201cOK.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to spend my life solving that problem.\u201d\u00a0 But that isn\u2019t the right approach.\u00a0 Instead, we first should ask ourselves, \u201cWhat am I good at?\u201d\u00a0 And then we should ask ourselves, \u201cHow can I take my God-given talent and use it to serve the world?\u201d<\/p>\n

In order to go through this analysis, we have to understand who we are. And who we aren\u2019t.\u00a0 For instance, I think Mother Teresa was a wonderful woman.\u00a0 She not only served the physical needs of the poor, but she also served their spiritual needs.\u00a0 She generously shared her beliefs about a loving God who cared for them deeply.\u00a0 I would love to be like Mother Teresa.\u00a0 But I\u2019m not.\u00a0 I’m not suited for convent life.\u00a0 I enjoy traditional family life.\u00a0 I love being married to my husband, and I love being a mother to my daughter.\u00a0 I am \u201ccalled\u201d to those roles.\u00a0 Of course, my vocation isn\u2019t limited to those roles, but they are part of how God has called me to serve the world.<\/p>\n

When we consider our vocation, then, we shouldn’t be looking at what other people are doing. Instead, we should be looking inward.\u00a0 We should be discovering our own unique gifts, talents and interests.\u00a0 And then we should figure out how to use them to meet the needs of the world.<\/p>\n

There are an infinite number of ways that we can meet the world\u2019s deep needs.\u00a0 We certainly aren’t limited to being a minister, nurse or missionary.\u00a0 If everyone picked only those vocations, we wouldn\u2019t have things like food and electricity!\u00a0 For instance, if you enjoy being an entrepreneur, I can assure you that the world has a need for ethical business people. If you enjoy being a hairdresser or barber, you can have a significant impact on the world by making others look their best and giving them a boost of confidence.<\/p>\n

When it comes to determining your vocation, the most important thing to remember is this: You are here for a reason. God has a special plan for how you will bless the world.\u00a0 That is your vocation.\u00a0 It is your job to discover your vocation and have your \u201cdeep gladness\u201d meet \u201cthe world\u2019s deep need.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Photo courtesy of Pexels)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cVocation is the place where our deep gladness meets the world\u2019s deep need.\u201d \u2013 Frederick Buechner What gives you deep gladness? What activity makes you so happy that you lose track of time when doing it?\u00a0 What activity invigorates you and gives you a sense of purpose?\u00a0 That activity is the key to discovering your…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":593,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Is Your Vocation? - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2016\/12\/what-is-your-vocation.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Is Your Vocation? - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cVocation is the place where our deep gladness meets the world\u2019s deep need.\u201d \u2013 Frederick Buechner What gives you deep gladness? 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