Good day, Purposeful Hearts! In our quest to become vocational experts, we’ve spent the last two weeks understanding definitions of vocation and learning about how extensively our relationships are integrated into the concept. Today, we’re looking at how we can help each other discover and develop our unique vocations. Ready for the hot tips of the day?
First, we can be a sounding board and a trusted resource when talking through life choices, personal interests, and opportunities for work and service. Some of the best vocational guidance I’ve received was from a close family member or a good friend who knows my personality and gifts, and it’s important to reciprocate and be there for others in the same way.
It’s also important to encourage each other in terms of identity and vocation. We are more than our careers, more than our roles as scholar, or athlete, or musician. Vocations can change over the lifespan, and sometimes it hurts to shift from one vocational role to another if your identity was too closely bound to a previous label. We can support each other during these transitions by reminding each other that we are chosen children of God first, and we can live out multiple dynamic vocations in service to Him. God holds our purpose in His hands, so we should trust His calling and timing for us.
Finally, we can remind each other that our vocations are given by God, and we serve Him by serving our neighbor. This reminder can relieve and release some of the pressure we put on ourselves to seek external validation or the secular world’s approval for what we do with our lives. The world’s approval is fickle, conditional, and ultimately empty. It is God who satisfies the soul and holds our futures in His hands!
Who in your life could use a vocational boost? With your eyes wide open, look for opportunities to encourage those around you who may be struggling to find vocational clarity. Remind them of what we talked about today – you’ll be fulfilling part of your own vocation in the process!
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