Journal of Sacred Work

"A successful life is one that is lived through understanding and pursuing one's own path, not chasing after the dreams of others."  Chin-Ning Chu

Today's meditation was written by Cathy Self, Senior Vice President for the Baptist Healing Trust.

     Tracy Roberts, a colleague who is devoted to helping create space for relationship and peace, once told me he hoped his profession was a profession of his life. His words are challenging and create the opportunity to ask of ourselves, what is my profession? Is what I do as "work" an accurate reflection of who I am as a person or have I created different personas for different aspects of my life – is the one who shows up "at work" the same person that shows up with family and friends?

     The words vocation and avocation sometimes seem to be tossed around almost too casually. Vocation is my job, I have heard some say, but my avocation is what I get to do with my "own" time.  Author Gordon T. Smith suggests vocation is not primarily an occupation or line of work, but rather an engagement with the world in response to the call of Love. All vocation, then, is potentially sacred. Such a perspective invites us to move away from the compartmentalization of our lives into spouse, friend, parent, employee, neighbor, son, or daughter, or even the artificial distinctions that some ascribe to secular vs. religious work.

     We are whole, complex individuals who each seek to find ways to fulfill a sense of purpose and meaning in our lives through relationships – regardless of the context, circumstance, or dimension. Consider the joy that may be experienced in living as described by Robert Frost in his poem titled "Two Tramps in Mud Time:"

My object in living is to unite

My avocation and my vocation

As my two eyes make one in sight

Only where love and need are one

And the work is play for mortal stakes

Is the deed ever really done

For heaven and the future’s sakes.

    Love invites us into the places of care and compassion whether as a nurse, administrator, parent, friend, environmental specialist, or electrician. Our challenge is to show up with all of who we are, all the time. When life is experienced with that integrity and congruency, there is a deep abiding joy in all that we do. Frederick Buechner wrote "the place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet."  I hope today finds you in that place of sacredness, where your deep gladness and joy gather to meet the need of the world's deep hunger. Peace.