A Tiny Letter On: Work and Calling

I walked down Queen Anne Avenue last summer with headphones on. For whatever weird reason I had the overwhelming urge to listen to the song “Wonderwall” by Oasis. 

“And all the lights that lead us there are blinding.”  I started to tear up.

I’d just met with a job coach. For the past three decades this career counselor has helped people consider how work intersects with calling by weaving together interests, temperament, and family history. He does the work in 90 minutes, a real life job coach wizard. 

Having someone you’ve never met that is uniquely gifted at helping people think through career and calling was intense. Clearly, since for me it ended in tears and “Wonderwall.” 

The job coach's homework reminds me of the book Designing Your Life, which encourages readers to map out the work they’d like to do and then interview as many people moving in those spaces as possible to learn how they do it. 

I loved meeting this coach and remain inspired and affirmed in my gifts. But here's where I struggle: I don't believe all of us can magically translate calling into income, at least not right away, or in every season. Some of us have day jobs we love—whatever that looks like, be it parenting or working in an office. Others also do work we love outside of our day jobs. I wondered, what if both are well and good regardless of our calling? Should calling always be linked to income?

I don’t want to idealize the success that culture tells us inevitably comes when we take the plunge to plan B, or C, or D. Even the concept of failure can be fetishized. Maybe like you, I’m suspicious of hearing that if I take a risk — if I open my vegan matcha mini donut hole pop-up — my life will make sense. Most of the time, mini donuts do not lead to happiness, or at least to ease.

But that’s not why we do what we love, is it? At its heart, whatever you do — practicing law, going to school, fixing cars, or writing a blog — should be rooted in serving other people. 

If you have two good options in front of you, I’ll say this: Action without full knowledge is better than ruminating. I’m a master over-thinker, so I should know. I’ll also tell you what you already know: That life is full of seasons, and you can live in full hope that if there’s something good God has put in you, however farfetched, you can walk in confidence that God has made you, with all those longings and gifts, for a reason.

As we read in Isaiah 30, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” 

Sometimes, that walking happens after a season of waiting. Sometimes, it looks more like jumping. And sometimes, like a loving parent teaching a kid to dive, God gives us a little push off the dock.