Do You Have a Job, a Career, or a Calling?

Last updated on: May 15, 2012 at 5:23 am by JBW

Do You Have a Job, a Career, or a Calling? 2012-05-15T05:23:01-05:00 JBW

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The first job I had out of high school was as a dishwasher for a white-tablecloth Italian restaurant during the late seventies. My industrious best friend worked there, and he said it would be a good place to earn some spending money. Plus, some foxy girls would be waitressing, and maybe we could get to know them better.

I instantly fell for his delusion and diligently applied myself to the job. I was delighted to receive my fifty dollar-paycheck at the end of the first week, which was promptly spent on gas, movies and fast food.

But after a few weeks I was overcome with boredom. I couldn’t bear to put one more lousy plate through that steaming washer, so I announced my resignation and spent the rest of the summer in an aimless leisurely stupor with my other unemployed friends.

Luckily, no one else was relying on that income, and my lifestyle standards were quite meager at the time. This job clearly had been nothing more to me than a brief stint to make a couple bucks and move on.

I proceeded on to college and then grad school, whereupon I entered my first real professional job. I was delighted to receive a few hundred dollars at the end of the first week, which promptly went towards rent, meals, and a never-ending stream of parking tickets made out to “The City of Boston,” where my new wife and I had dreamily established our first apartment in the Back Bay.

I was proud to be a professional, and thus began my track towards a true career. I leveraged the experience gained at that job to get the next one, continued honing my strengths and skills, and for the next two decades focused on promotions and advancement.

“Slacker Boy Makes Good On His Education,” might well be the moral tagline of this story, but it didn’t end there. As I matured and became more concerned about God’s purpose for my career, I considered that it might be more than just all about me. Perhaps the emphasis of my work could involve helping others, rather than self-seeking promotions. This led to a much more integrated and fulfilling view of my employment.

Okay, blog-slackers, you need to click here to finish reading the rest of this post over at The High Calling. It will change your life forever! See ya there.

Career

Purpose

Work

Previous Post

May 9, 2012

Stop Skimming Through Life

Next Post

May 21, 2012 It's Almost Summer. Are You Having Fun Yet?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Ambition Blogging Career Culture Executive Career Development Failure Faith in the Workplace Family Feeling Stupid Leadership Managing People Purpose Reviews Spirituality Uncategorized Work-Life Balance

Select a Month November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which king of Israel reigned the longest and led Israel into great wickedness?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Ahab Joash Manasseh Jehu