Having just taken part in a "come and see" vocation discernment weekend and celebrated the Annunciation, it's not surprising that I've been thinking about vocation, call and response. Plus, a few weeks ago this picture and its caption appeared on various Facebook walls, and definitely caught my attention...
WHAT IS VOCATION???
"Vocation is about finding what you are best suited to. It's about finding your mission in life, discovering who God has created you to be and what tasks he has created you to carry out in this world. Everyone has a vocation, and finding it truly is the single event that will create more happiness in our lives than anything else. Life, therefore is about vocation. It is about seeking and finding what God created you for - and then doing it. It is through this process that God will transform you into the best-version-of-yourself and the world into the place he intended it to be."
-- Matthew Kelly
So finding our vocation "will create more happiness in our lives than anything else..." And indeed, I can say that finding one's true vocation really is about finding the treasure; or rather, finding a treasure chest with my name on it, unlocking it and spending the rest of my life gradually extracting and exploring its contents. That doesn't necessarily mean it will all be cosy and easy, or that the treasure chest contains a bed of roses. In fact, finding one's treasure can be scary - at least at first - and the treasure chest contains risk and challenge and unattractive bits alongside joy and excitement, but deep down there's a rightness and a peace to it which can somehow override the initial scariness and assure us that the journey will be worthwhile.
And yes, there is transformation in the process; and in there, deep within, there is also that place where our deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet and embrace, and underpin each one's unique call to be what they were created for. It truly is a glorious, wonderful, joyful thing... and so I'm praying for all those who are still searching: for those who haven't yet found their treasure; for those who have found it but don't/can't/don't want to recognise it; for those who haven't yet screwed up the courage to open it... May they come to know the deep joy of finding and opening their treasure, and in the process be transformed themselves and transform the world around them...
"Vocation is about finding what you are best suited to. It's about finding your mission in life, discovering who God has created you to be and what tasks he has created you to carry out in this world. Everyone has a vocation, and finding it truly is the single event that will create more happiness in our lives than anything else. Life, therefore is about vocation. It is about seeking and finding what God created you for - and then doing it. It is through this process that God will transform you into the best-version-of-yourself and the world into the place he intended it to be."
-- Matthew Kelly
So finding our vocation "will create more happiness in our lives than anything else..." And indeed, I can say that finding one's true vocation really is about finding the treasure; or rather, finding a treasure chest with my name on it, unlocking it and spending the rest of my life gradually extracting and exploring its contents. That doesn't necessarily mean it will all be cosy and easy, or that the treasure chest contains a bed of roses. In fact, finding one's treasure can be scary - at least at first - and the treasure chest contains risk and challenge and unattractive bits alongside joy and excitement, but deep down there's a rightness and a peace to it which can somehow override the initial scariness and assure us that the journey will be worthwhile.
And yes, there is transformation in the process; and in there, deep within, there is also that place where our deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet and embrace, and underpin each one's unique call to be what they were created for. It truly is a glorious, wonderful, joyful thing... and so I'm praying for all those who are still searching: for those who haven't yet found their treasure; for those who have found it but don't/can't/don't want to recognise it; for those who haven't yet screwed up the courage to open it... May they come to know the deep joy of finding and opening their treasure, and in the process be transformed themselves and transform the world around them...
Silvana,
ReplyDeleteWhat a thought provoking post! I am having one of those periods of discernment and this just nails where I am!
Thanks you for posting!