Realizing that our vocation (in other words, our calling) does not mean “occupation” (the position we may fill for a paycheck), clears away confusion and false expectations.
We live in a culture that often sees work as a “necessary evil” that’s just part of life. It is seen in a negative light as what must be done to earn a paycheck. The Scriptures show us that God is working all the time. It is part of His creative nature. He enjoys it and calls it good.
Smith states, “For the early church, deeply influenced by Hellenistic thought, any work that was ‘in the world’ or that engaged actively with society was viewed not only as secular but probably evil. Thus the spiritual ideal was to leave the world, be separate from it and live as much as possible a life of prayer and study. [As a result,] the belief became deeply imbedded in the psyche of the church that if a person had a vocation [or calling], he or she was called to leave so-called secular employment and accept service in and through the church”(p. 44).
This attitude toward vocation is still common to many Christians. You may hear statements like, “I wanted to work full-time for the Kingdom, and so I went into ministry.” Or maybe you have experienced an unspoken view that simply sees working in some kind of ministry as a higher or more “spiritual” calling.
Read Chapters 1-2 of your textbook by Smith.
Prepare to discuss the following questions.
What are your general thoughts and feelings about work?
How has your own life shaped your views about work (your upbringing, what was modeled in your family, your own work history?)
Has this view influenced your own thinking? And if it has, do you agree or disagree with it?
If the view that “ministry” work is more spiritual than “secular” work is true, what are the implications for all of us who do not have an occupation that is seen as secular and not ministerial?
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