How Will YOU Live?

What will you dedicate your life to? Heavy question, isn’t it? Although, a heavier question might be the one that follows, how will you dedicate your life to that?

These were a few of the questions running around the Fellows’ minds as we entered into the topic of vocation and our calling in a philosophy class taught by professor Matt Dee. To quote a conversation between the Joker and Harley Quin, the Joker asks, “Question…would you die for me?”, Harley Quin quickly responds with “yes”. The Joker continues to say, “That’s too easy. Would you…would you live for me?”.

While these two are not the most respectable or even remotely sane characters, in some ways the Joker is hitting on something here. As Christians, we understand that Christ doesn’t call us to only focus on willingness to die for him, but also the willingness to live for Him, and how we will do so. With that in mind, we, the Fellows, were prompted to think about how we would dedicate our lives to Jesus.

As we entered into this topic, we were presented with a quote from C.S. Lewis that states, “The most dangerous ideas in society are not the ones being argued but the ones that are assumed”. We were given some time to reflect on this prompt and analyze some assumptions we had about vocation and calling that might not be accurate.

The first assumption we began to deconstruct was the idea that your vocation is merely the job you choose. As a class, we came to realize that there are two types of vocations, general and particular. General vocation encompasses things like being child of God, parent, neighbor, congregant, occupation, spouse, or citizen. While a particular vocation is narrowed down to one’s current occupation.

After an invigorating class of returning vocation and work to its true definitions, we were given a packet of self-reflecting questions surrounding personality and core values to consider while choosing a particular vocation. We were able to utilize this tool in small groups the following day. We engaged in a discussion with our close peers about the particular vocation we are currently thinking of going into and received constructive criticism along with encouragement to ponder on.

Upon being asked about her experience with the group discussion, student Samantha Lee explains, “Our group exercise not only helped me strengthen my ideas regarding my potential vocation, but it was refreshing to hear some encouragement and challenges from my fellow peers.”

Additionally, student Christian Cline states, “As someone who has long struggled to answer the important question of “what’s next”, I found our vocational team evaluation to be incredibly helpful! Beyond just receiving clarity into my own wiring, strengths, and passions, I also began to better understand my peers as we shared personal inspirations, dreams, and affirmations. I feel much more empowered to move forward in confidence knowing that the skills and desires I see in myself have been confirmed by those around me!”

Overall, this week’s seminar and class discussions have allowed us to get excited about the copious possibilities of what God will do with our futures and how He will use each of us in his Kingdom. Furthermore, we are able to thank Him for giving us outlets to pursue the desires He placed in our hearts through our vocation.

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by Anna Alsobrook