Call vs. Job

If you were to find yourself out of work today, what advice would you seek and from whom?

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. - Ephesians 4:1-3

In Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus, the self-professed apostle of Christ seems to be giving advice on how to tackle the job of answering God's call.

It's good advice, I think, to be humble and patient, making every effort to work together in peace.  That approach would work for any job, wouldn't it?

But there is something else that Paul says that an executive coach might fail to advise, and that is to deal with one another in love.  Why is that?  Why would we not expect to bring love into our jobs?

For one thing, I don't think we see our jobs as callings from God.  We go to work.  We make a living.  We are not doing God's work, right?

When we add love to the equation, it changes everything.  Now I am not talking about having love affairs at work.  That's not what this is about.  And I certainly don't think that is what God is calling us to do.

And acting out of concern for others can sometimes put us at odds with our management and our responsibilities.  We cannot bend or break the rules to accommodate someone's needs because we care about them or feel sorry for them.

That may be why we don't talk about approaching our jobs from a loving position.  Yes, we can have patience and we can be humble and seek peace.  These things make for a productive workplace at times.  But to act out of love is threatening.

So, perhaps that is the difference between work and mission.  When we approach our ministry without love, it is work.  When we approach our work out of love, it may be more than a job.

I have been blessed to have found a job that fits perfectly with my calling.  I can tell because I love it and I get to show my love for others in doing the work involved.

Because I work in a food pantry and soup kitchen, you might say that it is obviously a calling, but it is possible to approach this totally as a job.  People do.

So, what message do I take away from Paul's advice?

I need to lead my life according to the blessing of my call.  Remember that I am called to serve and that call is met in love.  If I stay focused on that, I will have no problem being patient and humble and maintaining the unity of the Spirit in peace.

When I lose my connection with God, though, all hell will break lose.

More to come...