Called To Faithfulness

I have a vivid memory of being 9 years old and going to a Walgreens with my father late at night. Closing time was approaching, so the staff was cleaning up around the place in preparation for a new day of business. While we were walking, we saw an employee driving a motorized floor buffer down an aisle. At the sight of this, I made a snide remark about “what kind of job that must be.” Without missing a beat, my dad rebuked that sentiment passionately. “Billy, any honest job that is worked hard is an honorable job,” he said. “Don’t you ever forget that.”

I haven’t.

That lesson is one I have carried with me throughout my life, and one that weighs on me heavily as I discern my calling and help college students do the same.

“Calling” is a buzzword that is big within the church, and one that makes us feel the pressure of having to attain some sort of spiritual significance by picking the line of work that makes the most illustrious impact. Given this, it’s tempting to feel like the call of Christ is anchored solely on the vocation we choose. Furthermore, it’s easy to think that the callings that are most valuable are those that end up with having “Reverend” in front of your name, or with being a social media influencer, or by making a lasting legacy that makes people remember your name for ages to come. 

While God certainly works through those types of paths, it’s important to remember that the calling that Christ invites us all into is one that is not nearly as much about us or our own personal legacy. 

Calling Is not about cultivating a legacy that makes you memorable, but rather a faithfulness that makes known the love of Christ. 

That manifests in different ways for different people. For some people, they may feel like they fulfill their calling through ordained ministry. For some people, they may feel like they fulfill their calling through working in a service field of some sort such as nursing, social work, hopsitality, or mental health counseling. For some people, they may find the fulfillment of their calling through just being an honest person who works hard and seeks to be a light to whomever God brings into their lives, whether it be at work or outside of it. 

Some people will be remembered forever for how they followed God’s call. People like Billy Graham, John Wesley, and St. Augustine have legacies of this sort. But most of us won’t. And that’s okay! It is my impression that no matter what ethical career path we choose, God cares how we take the opportunities along that path to be faithful to Him and be loving to those we encounter along the way. No matter who you are, you can step into the identity that 1 Peter 2:9 lays out for us as “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

Colossions 3: 23-24 says: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

No matter what your work may end up being, it is valuable in God’s eyes and He invites you to let Him saturate it with his presence and purpose. 

I’m not saying you shouldn’t dream big. I’m not saying that you should just do whatever work is practical. I’m not saying that God doesn’t want us to achieve big purposes for His kingdom

I’m saying that all of us, regardless of whether we have the resources or privileges to attain our loftiest of goals, are valued in the eyes of God and will be given opportunities to serve his purposes no matter how notable our “calling” may be in the eyes of the world. I’m saying that we should never underestimate God’s ability to make eternal impact through any and every person no matter where their call in life has taken them. I’m saying that your life, all of it, is of sacred worth. 

Emphatically, I am saying that no calling from God is more significant than the other.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent a lot of time comparing your journey to someone else’s wondering why they get a more valuable journey than you.

That’s just not the case, y’all. Jesus, during his life on Earth and still to this day, is using any and everybody who is willing to offer themselves to him to serve the purposes of the Kingdom of God. 

It is my hope that we at The Co-op can proclaim this by giving equal respect to all the ways that God calls us to be faithful to Him. You don’t have to be a candidate for ordination to be a leader in the Church. God uses the faithful. 

May we join Him in giving honor to all of those who work honestly and faithfully, including the floor buffer at Walgreens.

If you’re reading this, Dad: thank you for the life lesson. I needed it.