Wednesday 16 May 2007

Surviving Work

Solomon says that work is a gift to be enjoyed yet for many of us the dots don’t connect between joy and job. It’s more endured than enjoyed, roll on Fri, slow down weekend. How do you join the dots from what God intended to move beyond enduring to enjoyment.

We talk about using our passions in our work place, discovering our giftings and getting the job that fits our skills. That's great in an ideal world but let's be honest we don't always get that luxury especially when the wolf is at the door. Here's something I've learnt recently there is a difference between occupation and a word we seem to keep for ministers called vocation.

Occupation is an activity in which you engage in, vocation is a strong calling, a sense of being chosen, it comes from the Latin word Vox meaning voice. You see I’ve had a lot of jobs including cleaning toilets in a factory but only really one vocation. Occupations can train you for your vocation and your occupation can resource your vocation. Your job is not the destination your vocation is where you want to journey towards. God has set eternity in your heart, work is a journey that will skill you and resource you.

If you're having a bad day in work listen again to the voice that calls you to hope so that you overflow with hope to others.

On Sunday I asked people who were in a job that wasn't just their occupation but also their vocation, one lady who raised her hand works with kids who have learning difficulties. It's great when you see people who hear 'The Voice' and respond. Vocation is not about the church being your workplace, its the church in the workplace.

2 comments:

Andy said...

Yo,

How goes it.

Working for a living is a tricky one. I sometimes think I could do so much more if I wasn't working! But it certainly gives you invaluable skills and I guess the key is to work to give God glory, thats hard but it helps me sometimes when it gets tough. Plus a man needs to find satisfaction in his days work, so doing it for God is a good starting point. Your boss is not your boss, God is your boss!

Be down with ya soon bro!

Andy

jasondscott said...

Hey great to hear from you Andy. Make ripples in the sea of humanity.