Your Calling Here and Now

Making Sense of Vocation

Gordon T. Smith

• Verlag: IVP
• Jahr: 2022
• ISBN:
  9781514003428
• Thema: Personal Development
• Thema: Mental Health & Wellbeing

Our vocation is the outworking of how God has made us. It is not a goal on the horizon but a present reality that we are called to discern and explore. However, in the midst of our daily lives, finding meaning can prove both difficult and elusive, and we are often left wondering if we are missing out on God's purpose for our lives.Gordon Smith invites us to reflect on our vocation and step into God's call in the present moment. When discerning our vocation feels overwhelming, Smith offers a simple question as a way forward: "At this time and place, who am I meant to be, and what am I called to do?"Theologically and historically grounded, Your Calling Here and Now offers theological reflections and spiritual practices that will help you discern God's call on your life. Whether you are navigating career transitions or looking for meaning in the ordinary, God has a purpose for your life for the here and now.

At This Time and in This Place

VOCATION IS ALWAYS PARTICULAR: this person, at this time, and in this place.1 Vocation is never discerned in a historical vacuum; it is always in the specifics of the world in which we live. It is always about the here and now—and, as needs to be stressed, it is the here and now as it comes to us, as it presents itself, not as we wish it to be. We get beyond wishful thinking, and we name reality and discern calling in the light of and in the midst of this time and this place—this situation.

Therefore, we ask, at this time and in this place, who and what are we called to be and do? What does it mean to steward our lives in light of our economic circumstances, marital status and family situation, age, and personal health? What does it mean to be attentive to what we bring to the table in a way that takes full account of our social and cultural context, as well as the economic and political situation in which we are living, locally and globally?

We ask, at this time and in this place, who and what are we called to be and do ?

Vocation and calling are about much more than our occupation or job or career. It certainly includes the work for which we are responsible—whether waged or volunteer or managing a home with the whole range of domestic activities so vital to what it means to call a place “home.” But it also includes the network of social and family connections that are an essential part of our lives. And so, within the midst of all we are and all we are responsible for and those we are responsible to, we ask the question, What am I being called to say and do?

This applies to us both individually and collectively. An organization or business or development agency or school is always needing to ask, What are we called to be and do now, at this time and in this place? A college or university will ask what it means to be invested in higher education in this season of the life of a country or city or community—in this time and in this place. A church—collectively—will ask what it means to be this faith community at this time and in this location—this neighborhood, this chapter in the history of this community and, in the intersection of this time and this place, to be this church. We do not have the luxury of imagining another set of circumstances: it is always at this time and in this place that we make sense of the identity and mission of the organizations of which we are a part.

While this principle applies to both organizations and individuals, the focus here will be more on the individual. This is not to discount the shared responsibilities we have. It is merely a matter of focus and the need to not lose the grace and power of the individual in the matrix of time and space and within the confluence and complexities of our organizations and collective concerns. What comes here is an appeal: for each person to ask of themselves, In this time and in this place, how am I being called to speak and act? To be more specific, this is a call to name our situation on the assumption that calling is always—always—for this time and for this place. It is always a calling to and in this particular set of circumstances.

Sometimes the circumstances we face are thrust upon us. Those of us who serve in higher education in North America will for many years remember the weekend of March 13-14, 2020. Everything changed—and dramatically so—when we realized the coronavirus pandemic meant, quite simply, it would not be business as usual. We needed to make a call: In this time and in this place, what does it mean for us to do what needs to be done? No more, but most assuredly no less. For many of us, we were taken by surprise. Perhaps we should have seen this coming, having watched the outbreak in China and northern Italy. Perhaps, indeed, we should have had a contingency plan in place. But as it happened, the decision had to be made very quickly to move to an alternate form of fulfilling our mission as a university. And in the process, many organizations, churches, and agencies were using the same word—it was heard again and again—“pivot.” We shifted, adapted, responded, and did all we could to sustain our work and mission in response to dramatically changing circumstances.

More often than not, the recognition of vocation typically emerges more slowly, over time. As we come to a gradual realization of the particulars of our lives and of our situations, we begin to process what this means and how we are necessarily being called to read these situations as we come to clarity about what it is we are being called to do: in this time and in this place.

No More and No Less

The genius of getting this right is appreciating not only this intersection—of this person at this time and in this place—but very specifically accepting and embracing this situation and our role or calling within it. Clarity of vocation means knowing what we do but also what we do not need to do. We accept that some things will not be our focus or our responsibility. But more, it is also about what we say—where and how we speak—as well as what we leave unsaid. To say what needs to be said and to say no more. No less, certainly, but no more. To know when it is best that a thought or impression or conviction is left unsaid. And, further, to know what needs to be done—at this time and in this place—and what can and must be left undone. We do not need to live with any compulsion to speak or act beyond what is called for in the particulars of this time and place. Wise women and men do not over-speak, but rather say what needs to be said with courage and grace, doing what is essential and needful. We do not live frenetically trying to be and do as much as possible, but rather have a sense of time and place, what we need to be and do, together with a peace and settledness of heart regarding what is not needful.

In part, this is true because there is growth beyond the felt need to be a hero, to be constantly fixing things, or to be affirmed for all we have done or accomplished or contributed. We are content to do no more than what it is we have been called to do. This includes that which is done in obscurity—where the work we do is simply done because it needs to be done, whether or not we are thanked or affirmed for it. Whether as president of the United States or the homemaker who knows the laundry needs to be done today, in each vocation, we live in the grace of doing what needs to be done. No more and no less.

Clarity of vocation means knowing what we do but also what we do not need to do.

This means we do what we have been called to do. In so doing, we realize many people are involved in running an organization and that within the whole—this organization, this church, this agency—we need clarity about the specifics of what we are called to contribute. And so, we can ask: What, within the economy of lives and responsibilities, is necessary on my to-do list? Vocation is about doing what is needful, what falls to us to do as our work and sphere of responsibility. It is either myself or a sibling who will care for my mother in her senior years. Either I do the laundry, or it does not get done. As president of this college, I cannot deflect or demur or equivocate; I need to do what this organization needs from the president. Either the president does it or it does not get done. As pastor of this congregation, as manager of this department store, I need to do what I need to do.

When we speak about this time and this place, it also means we have come to accept what some speak of as the poverty of time. Many seem to live with the constant battle of wishing they had more time, routinely missing deadlines on assignments or responsibilities, having to apologize for delays in this or that or the other. Yes, of course, there will be times in our lives when we feel the impossibility of it all and wish time would do us just a simple favor and stand still so we could catch up. There is a health crisis in the family at the time a major business negotiation is on the table—so we make a quick trip to drop in on an aging parent, confirm they are okay, and we are back to the office working late to finalize the terms of the deal, grateful we did not get caught in a major traffic jam in our comings and goings. Or we are running late for a flight, not because of bad planning or foresight, but merely because something came up with our teenager that meant we were not going to leave the house without first being present to this young person and their concern or “crisis”—and yes, I put crisis in quotations fully recognizing that what this teen is going to wear that day may not qualify as a crisis(!) against the possibility that you would miss your flight. But you know this matters more right now, and so in the end you are caught in the security line wondering why the agent needs to take so long to check each ID.

But those times can and must be the exception. In the normal flow of our lives, vocational thinking and acting means there is a leisured pace to our lives. We are not constantly at war against the limits of hours, trying to be more and to accomplish more than we are called to be and do. We learn what it means to live in the fullness of time, with time as friend, and grace-filled space for life and work and relationships rather than always complaining time is not on our side.

If two assignments are due at the same time, we learn to do today what needs to be done today so the deadline down the road is met. A young person might be living in the moment and only tackle an assignment on the day prior to when it is due, thus facing a personal crisis when they suddenly realize they have two assignments due on the same day. But as we mature and learn to live in time, we see what is on the horizon and do today what needs to be done today so that we are ready for tomorrow.

I will grant that thinking this way is a luxury. For the majority of humans, they have thrust upon them tasks and responsibilities about which they have no choice. They are in survival mode. But for those who can step back and reflect—for most of those who will have a copy of this book in their hands—we can approach this question by asking what it means to be good stewards of our time and place in the flow of history and the circumstances of our lives. Do not underestimate your options here; even if your life circumstances seem all consuming, do read with a thought to where there might be the option for attending to the margins of your life that might open up space for doing something that matters to you.

Beyond Wishful Thinking and Regrets

When we speak about the here and now, we do so with a frank and honest read of our time and our situation. We face our reality. There is no effective capacity to discern and embrace vocation unless and until we name our reality; vocation is always—always—about the here and now. In this time, in this place.

It is so very easy to say “if only”—if only this or that or the other had not occurred. If only this had not happened to us as a child or in our teen years. If only we had not been fired from our job. If only this illness or accident had not come our way. But the problem is that in so doing, we live looking back rather than facing and living within our current reality and accepting that this is now our new reality. And it makes no difference if what has happened is a result of our own doing: we mishandled our job or a relationship or very simply did something inappropriate and now are living with the consequences. Or, if the situation we are facing is due to something another person did—however wrong it was or continues to be. In both instances, one is a victim, either of one’s own foolishness or the misdeeds of others. And yet, regardless of the original cause, this is now our reality. Discerning vocation is a matter of getting beyond the “if only,” which leads to wasted emotional and intellectual energy.

There is no effective capacity to discern and embrace vocation unless and until we name our reality.

We also learn to get beyond nostalgia—the propensity to look back fondly or wistfully to an earlier time. We turn from longing for a previous time and ask about the here and now: this time, this place. This is not a matter of fatalistic resignation; rather, we do this in hope. We ask, What can and must be done now in light of what is actually the case rather than what we wish was the case? This is not because we are only living for today; it is merely that today is all we have and so, looking to today and down the road, we choose where and how we will act. Here and now.

And in this, it is important to remember we cannot map out the rest of our lives. We choose and discern in light of today, and we know the rest of our lives will be lived out one day at a time, one step at a time. We are merely affirming and embracing what we are called to do today—with hope and grace and courage.

When I became a university president, I came into a situation where the institution was carrying an inordinate amount of debt. And sure, once or twice I bemoaned the situation and wondered what factors might have led to this challenging situation. In other words, there might be a space for a little raging and ranting, if you must. Perhaps go out to a quiet spot on the beach and yell and scream. Fine. But then, turn, and rather than say “if only,” consider what must be said and what must be done in light of what is actually the case rather than what we wish was the case. In my case, it meant that as the president, it was my job to help the institution move to a stronger level of financial sustainability. And I needed to do this while keeping the university on mission. Sure, it was not what I would have chosen, but that is not the point. This was the situation that presented itself, and this was the situation in which I had been called to speak and to act.

Sometimes, this is a particularly difficult pill to swallow. The way before us is closed. Our position is terminated. We were denied admission to a college or university. The publisher turned down our book proposal. We feel the sting of this setback. But now we are asking, in light of not what we wish was the case but what is actually the case: How do we choose to act and move forward, one step at a time?

Tending to What Matters

The here and now is also about tending to what matters—what is essential, pivotal, and crucial to this place and this time. To use the language of Jesus in his encounter with Martha, speaking about her sister Mary (Luke 10:38-42), we ask of ourselves: What is the one thing needful? What do I need to tend to today? What do I need to say? And what can be left unsaid? What do I need to do? And what can be left for another day? There may be an...

Inhaltsverzeichnis

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Also Available From Gordon T. Smith
• Contents
• Preface
• 1. At This Time and in This Place
• 2. The Stewardship of Our Lives
• 3. Calling and Callings
• 4. Career Transitions. New Directions, New Orientations
• 5. Tending to the Life of the Mind
• 6. THE WORK OF OUR HANDS
• 7. Vocational Thinking Means Organizational Thinking
• 8. Practices of Engagement
• 9. Sustaining a Resilient Hope
• Conclusion
• Notes
• Praise for Your Calling Here and Now
• About the Author
• More Titles from InterVarsity Press
• Copyright