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Dr. Chase

COMM 494

November 11, 2022

Essay 1: What Is Your Vocational Calling?

What are you going to do after you graduate? For college seniors, this is a question that

often seems daunting. Many feel the pressure of applying for work and paying off student loans,

all while finding their place in the adult world. Four years of undergraduate studies suddenly

seems small when compared to the rest of one’s life. Thus, the question may be turned into one

with even greater weight– What is your vocational calling? In order to answer this question, one

must be able to conceive what it truly means to have a “vocational calling” and an understanding

of how that calling may be discerned. My compassion for young people and desire to share

God’s word have contributed to my own sense of vocational calling. As I look to the next step in

life, this conviction of God’s calling for my life may serve as my guide.

First, one must be able to define and understand what a “vocational calling” is. C.S.

Lewis describes vocation by saying, “The work of a Beethoven, and the work of a charwoman,

become spiritual precisely on the same condition, that of being offered to God, of being done

humbly ‘as to the Lord’... We are members of one body, but differentiated members, each with

his own vocation. A man’s upbringing, his talents, his circumstances, are usually a tolerable

index of his vocation” (Lewis 7). As a Christian, my calling fits into the larger purpose of

serving the Lord and furthering His Kingdom. The term “vocation” is often understood in terms

of career or job occupation. As Lewis states, there is no specific occupation that draws us closer
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to the Lord or contributes to our salvation– that is by grace alone! However, God does give us

specific talents and places us in situations that may contribute to our sense of calling.

Despite having full confidence in God’s plan and purpose for one’s vocational calling, it

may be hard to discern this call. During my time as a Wheaton student, I found this to be quite

difficult. I had aspirations and career goals, much of which came from my own personal desires.

I had a clear understanding of what I wanted to gain from my college experience, but rarely

sought out the Lord’s calling. I soon began to realize that I felt dissatisfied and empty; facing a

conviction that I was not embracing my God-given gifts and talents. In a study through the

Gospel of Mark, I was reminded of the fact that before Jesus commands his disciples to go, he

calls them in and serves them. Before understanding where God is calling me, I must draw in

closer to him; humbly trusting and obeying in his Word. When I understand who the Lord is, I

will better understand who I am as his daughter. I will better understand how to serve, honor, and

grow in relationship with him as I follow his calling.

As I have begun to recognize God’s calling for my life, my compassion for others has

grown. William Placher states, “God calls you, the contemporary preacher and novelist Frederick

Beuchner has written, to ‘the kind of work (a) that you need most to do, and (b) that the world

needs to have done… The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the

world’s deep hunger meet’” (Placher 3). As I have grown closer to the Lord, my eyes have been

opened to see how desperately our world needs him. In response to Placher’s statement, I have

found that my “deep gladness” has often come from relationships with young people and

children. After my sophomore year, I had the opportunity to serve at Kanakuk Summer Kamps

through Wheaton’s internship program. During my time at Kamp, I found great joy in helping

children understand the Gospel, and constantly found myself in awe of the faith of a child. In
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Luke 18:17 Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God

like a little child will never enter it.” Many of the children whom I have had the opportunity to

work with have demonstrated eagerness and understanding of the Gospel. However, many of

these younger generations are living in a society that encourages them to turn away from their

need for a savior and embrace the values of this world. I believe that the world has a deep hunger

for the truth, and my vocational calling lies in sharing this truth with the younger generation.
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Citations

Placher, & Placher, W. C. (William C. (2005). Callings: twenty centuries of Christian

wisdom on vocation. W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co.

Lewis, C. S. The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses. William Collins, 2013.