In this article, I would like to explore the difference between a career and a calling. Since I teach classes on Martin Luther at a seminary, it probably won’t surprise readers that I will explore the differences using “theses.” You can be thankful that I am stopping at eight rather than 95! In what follows, I begin by talking about what it means to have a career. I underline the ways that word is useful and also limited. Then I move toward a discussion of having a calling and how that can provide a rich framework for thinking about what it means to be followers of Jesus in our earthly lives.
- The roots of the word “career” help us to understand both its usefulness and its shadow side.
The definition of “career” can be boiled down to two overlapping ideas. First, it can mean a chosen pursuit or profession. Or, second, it might mean a path or course. The Latin root is carrera, which means “race.” This could also point to a link between career and “rat race.” Or as the word “careen” suggests, it could also mean “out of control.” It is fine to have a path, but not so good to be out of control.
- A career suggests a deep and serious dedication to a craft.
From the famous to the lesser-known, we applaud and trust people who have demonstrated over time that they can be counted on to do a task well. Some names are almost synonymous with their careers. For example, Toni Morrison and writing. Or Tom Hanks and acting. But this sense of dedication extends beyond headliners. Ron, my auto mechanic, has been skillfully and honestly servicing my car for many years.
- In our age it has become necessary to widen one’s career arc.
Until fairly recently, it was unthinkable for most people to change their careers. For example, on my father’s side, there are generations of Norwegian fishermen. Until they immigrated to this country and engaged in a variety of jobs, fishing was what they did. Now things are totally different. People need to be prepared to change jobs a half dozen times before retirement. This can be hard. It can upset family life and one’s sense of self. It can also mean new opportunities.
- Unless guided by a sense of calling, a career is in danger of running off course.
It can be a temptation in our culture to make a career an end in itself. When career becomes the focus, status and salary can dominate the horizon. Or we might get stuck in a career that offers little monetary reward or satisfaction, thereby shrinking our sense of self. Here is where having a sense of calling is key. Careers tend to follow a path. Having a calling involves listening to a voice. This provides a sense of direction and orientation in life.
- A sense of calling develops when you see yourself under a broader horizon of faith and community.
When the focus in life narrows to a career, it is easy for the world to shrink to questions like this: How much money am I making? How can I move up the ladder? This is not a rant against a healthy sense of ambition. But it does call into question a career where ambition crowds out everything else. That’s not healthy. A way to prevent this is to see your career under the larger umbrella of vocation. Vocation brings the stories of Israel and Jesus into the picture. This means a life in God’s world and a call to love the neighbor. Now the questions shift to include: What about my family? What about the needs of the larger community? What about those who are getting shoved to the side and overlooked?
- Careers tend to be limited to the world of work; a sense of calling never ends.
One of the crucial insights of the Reformation was its insistence that a calling is not limited to monks, nuns, and priests. Luther and the other Reformers boldly proclaimed that all people have callings and, furthermore, that a calling is not limited to the field of work. For example, Luther (by this time, married with small children) once said in a sermon that perhaps the most “spiritual” thing you can do is change a diaper. Indeed, our callings are multiple, and we are never off the clock. They fan out into a network that includes being a spouse, a sibling, a worker, a congregational member, a citizen, et cetera.
- Callings involve attention to the messy details of life.
Sometimes people think that having a calling means pursuing an extraordinary life that challenges norms, attracts much attention, and even seems glamorous. In certain cases, that could be true. But for the most part, having a vocation is about paying attention to the messy and mundane details. It might mean doing the work on time, mowing the lawn, and going to the dance recital. Nothing dramatic—but it does matter.
- Callings are marked by suffering and joy.
There are plenty of voices out there trying to co-opt vocation in the name of self-realization and self-fulfillment. That seems like too much “self.” Jesus taught us that we find our life by losing it. Having a sense of calling can lead to places of trouble, sadness, and conflict. Suffering is never to be sought for its own sake. But it might come our way in loving our neighbors. Moreover, a true sense of calling often involves deep satisfaction and joy despite the frustrations. Joy is the offspring (never the goal) of work and service that matters, even if it is messy and under the radar.
So how might this preach?
Remind your people that they are all called, all the time. The good news of Jesus Christ is life-giving … that salvation is never earned … and it is for life! In other words, the gospel doesn’t just hover above people’s heads; it flows into their lives through their callings. Help folks see how they have vocations far beyond the walls of their church. Locate the Word for them in the midst of their lives as parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, workers, and citizens. After all, Christ’s promise of abundant life is not some spiritual affair, but it is meant to be lived out in love of neighbor. That means it moves into the messy details of life—in places like offices, kitchens, parks, and classrooms.
