Every human has a divine vocation. In fact, they have often have several. Part of being human means working out what our vocation is. The most important thing to remember is that our vocation, whether general or specific, is part of what creates meaning in our life. Without understanding our vocation, we will fail to understand ourselves.

The Vocation of Humanity

Humanity as a whole, and human beings as individuals, have a specific divine vocation for what it means to be human. Humanity was created to be stewards and caretakers of creation, which includes each other. We were made to be the image of God in the world, which is rooted in the way that we are meant to act in the world. To be human means to reflect God’s glory and love in the world.

Even when we are fallen and sinful, we are still made in the image of God. We do not always live up to the calling. But every single human being on the planet is bears the divine image and is a recipient of the vocation to reflect that image into the world. By the way we steward our resources, by the way we care and manage creation, and by the way we love one another.

Being human means working out those things in our life, and a person does not need to be a follower of Jesus to carry out the vocation of humanity. Paul wrote that through the Spirit the law is written on people’s hearts so they know what to do. The covenant made with Adam and with Noah was made for all humanity. This is our first vocation, and it is from the vocation to live as the image of God, that all other vocation comes.

The Vocation of Being a Disciple

Every Christian is a disciple. No one has to be taught how to be a disciple, and being a disciple is not a better class of Christian. To be a disciple simply means being a follower of Jesus. Anyone who is a Christian is a disciple. As such, all Christians bear the vocation of discipleship.

The vocation of discipleship can be boiled down really simply to loving God with all that we are, and loving our neighbour. Loving our neighbour and loving God is not about our feelings, or at least not primarily about our feelings. To love God and to love our neighbour is to give them our attention and time, to take responsibility for them, to act for their good, and to seek justice for them.

Who is our neighbour? They are the person who shows us mercy, or who needs mercy from us. That is the criteria of being a neighbour. Which means that being a disciple isn’t about escaping from the world, it is about being deeply rooted in the world, allowing ourselves to see and recognise and hear the voices of the people in need of mercy. Including when that is our own voice.

Being a disciple means working out what that vocation means for us. What does it mean for me to love God with all I am? What does it look like if I seek to love my neighbour? What do I need to do to find my neighbour? In other words, what does it mean for me to be holy. God commands us to be holy, and this is what it looks like in practice. The vocation of discipleship means being holy through loving God and loving our neighbour.

The Vocation of Ministry

Every disciple is called to ministry, and, every disciple is called to full-time ministry. This doesn’t mean that everyone is meant to run a church or lead a congregation. It means that everyone has a responsibility under the Gospel for their life and behaviour in the world.

The most basic way that this vocation is worked out is our call to pray and intercede for others. When we pray for other people, we are ministering to them, even if they don’t know we are praying for them. Prayer is the most basic ministry that everyone can do.

This vocation can also look acts of love and service to the people around us. It could look like the way we behave in our relationships, the way we parent our children, and the way we that we give time and attention to our family. The vocation to ministry can be taking care of a local park, doing litter picking, or chosing to invest in ethical banks. It could be where we work, how we work, and the way we treat our colleagues. It can be how we spend our free time, what kind of friendships we build, and our willingness to be available to people.

The vocation of ministry does not have to be about talking about Jesus all the time. It doesn’t have to be about starting church groups or leading anything. Ultimately, the vocation of ministry is the way that we intentionally and actively chose to love each other. Whether directly or indirectly. This is something that we are all meant to do.

Part of being a follower of Jesus means asking how can we fulfil that vocation in our lives. Everybody has a vocation to ministry because everybody is called to love the people around them.

Personal Vocation

Everyone then has their own personal vocation. This can change over time. It might be for a season or for life. It could be to a specific role, or to a broader way of life. Everyone is called to be and do something which only they can do, and, unless they can work out what that is, they will struggle to find meaning and purpose in life.

Sometimes, they will be fulfilling their personal vocation without ever understanding that is what they are doing. Other people have a really clear sense of vocation, about what they are meant to do with their life, and they work towards it passionately. Some people will have multiple vocations throughout their life as they move from place to place. Whilst some will wait their entire lives and only ever find the edges of their vocation, either because they’ve never looked or because they have not been able to get past their own ego.

Sometimes we will have multiple vocations as part of a specific ministry. For instance, someone called to formal ministry who is also called to working with young people, or to people living in the inner city.

Whatever it is or isn’t, everyone is called to something that only they can do. That is how the person, in all their infinite uniqueness, reflects the image of God in the world by being holy through loving God and loving their neighbour in their specific context.

Conclusion

If you don’t think you have a vocation, you’re wrong. You have a vocation simply to be human, to follow Jesus, to love your neighbour, and to do whatever it is that Jesus has called you to. When asked about people who were not called, William Booth is supposed to have said “Not called? More like not heard the call.” Everyone is called. We just need to work out what it is.

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