At our last weekend W2W meeting, we were discussing questions that would help each of us in discerning our personal vocation in life. One of the questions asked was: "When (what situations) do you have the impression of giving the best of yourself?"
Usually, our passion or a strong interest in something will reveal a flair for that particular activity. While there is usually a distinction between career choice and personal vocation, sometimes, the twain will meet.
I am reminded of some of the stories I heard on the Big Island just a few months ago. One man was a driller and growing coffee was just a passion he would indulge during his free time.
When it got to a point where he realized he was having more fun with his coffee-growing, and that his hobby could generate income, he quit his job and focused all his energies on growing organic coffee beans. The farm is now a family-run business with mum, dad and kids fully involved in every aspect of farming and the sale of coffee beans.
So if you are not happy with your career choice, is it really possible to start over? Crazy you say? Impossible? I beg to differ.
Because I had only a vague idea of what my gifts were when I was young, I did not consciously map my career path. Even then, although I did not know it at the time, God was leading the way. For I found out where my talents lay and I learned many lessons that now stand me in good stead. I was being moulded and shaped, learning discipline, fortitude and industry.
While I did not enjoy what I did for a living for I did not function well in a corporate environment, I did it - for it was a way to earn money and gain familial approval.
When it came time to look for a job after being laid off in 2003, I explored all my options, but this time, the big difference was that I consulted my heavenly Father as I searched.
I had considered the question above, together with a number of other questions and discovered that my gifts were writing and teaching.
Coupled with the desire to find meaning in what I do and be able to spend time with my mother who was recently widowed then, there was only one option - turn my back on corporate life and freelance.
Jesus was holding out a beckoning hand as He encouraged me to leave the security of the boat and walk on water.
He sent people my way to aid me in making this choice. Writing jobs came my way inexplicably. "Angel" friends helped finance my Pilates certification in the form of loans, money gifts or job opportunities. I could even take Mum on vacation each year.
It was not an easy time or process for I had to radically change my lifestyle and forgo ALL luxuries.
I was greatly humbled for I was stripped of all my worldly trappings and had to make sense of myself as a person who no longer held a well-respected position and drew a huge salary nor flew business class and ate in swanky restaurants.
The blessings came however. I found I could be happy with very little in life. I came to see and appreciate the miracles of everyday life.
Most of all, He blessed me with so much love in the guise of caring friends and a supportive mother.
I came to understand what it means to live on God's providence and every single day, even now, I continue to be astounded at how lovingly He takes care of me.
The biggest difference in my life, over the last few years, has been the strength of my faith, which has grown by astronomical leaps.
Especially when things got murky or when I started to feel overwhelmed by my choices in life (there were dark, dispirited moments, periods of helplessness and near-despair), I would turn to Him and say, "Lord, You deal with it! You brought me here, so please take charge now," and I would give him carte blanche in resolving the matter at hand.
The instant I did that, I would be freed of my burden. Best of all, He would always come back with a singularly innovative solution.
As I endeavour to live out my personal vocation, naturally giving of my best when I exercise my God-given talents, I now strive for excellence in everything I do.
Modelling Brother Lawrence* I offer up especially the tasks I find most tedious and I carry out my "common business wholly for the love of Him".
Seeing as He has our best interests at heart, surely He deserves only the very best from us?
* Brother Lawrence was a lay brother in a Carmelite monastery, who lived in the 17th century. He worked mainly in the kitchen, performing menial tasks, but his profound inner peace attracted many who sought spiritual guidance from him. His teachings can be found in The Practice of the Presence of God.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brother_Lawrence
