For want of a nail the shoe was lost;
For want of a shoe the horse was lost;
For want of a horse the battle was lost;
For the failure of battle the kingdom was lost—
All for the want of a horse-shoe nail.
This leads to That.
Earlier this week, I listened to a podcast talking about calling and vocation. The speakers talked about how God uses your past to prepare you for your present. One gave an abrevited life history saying he would have never guessed in his twenties that he would be where he is now in his early fifties, yet, here he is.
Both talked about vocational desire in terms of a mythic and a specific – each of us wishes to live a fulfilling life, one where I can be the best me that you I can be. Often, we have a specific idea of what that would be; yet when that exact thing doesn't work out, we get so disappointed and frustrated. A mythic perspective, asks us to look at the larger picture – e.g. someone who is interested in justice could pursue this as an attorney, an activist, a clergy person, or even an author. Each of these has a similar focus, but a different path.
When I look at my own life, I was passionate in my late teens about pursuing veterinary medicine. I spent 2 years in the program, before I regretfully changed trajectories. At the time, I was unaware of my deep longings, all of which were part of the veterinary package: to bring clarity to the situation, to alleviate / prevent suffering, to educated toward a better life, to facilitate healing (in the context of animals).
My first real job found me working with college students in a spiritual framework, yet, what was I doing? See the description above. About 9 years ago, I pursued a degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. What do I do with clients? Bring clarity, alleviate / prevent suffering, educate toward a better life, facilitate healing.
I see a pattern emerging …
Interestingly, my desire for veterinary medicine led me to the university where I got involved with a student group that later became my employer. Through this, I met someone who encouraged me to get trained in Therapy. And here I am. This led to that.
While the occupations are quite different, the mythic story appears to be similar.
If I try to distill this down into just a few words, what I seem to bring to to the table is:
Clarity. Freedom. Tools for Change.
I am beginning to think that this is my "calling." That no matter what my job, I will bring those three things.
What do you see consistently in your various jobs and passions? What do you think your three words or phrases are?
If you're interested in the podcast … check it out: http://ransomedheart.com/podcast