What is vocation?

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Updated - February 9, 2025

The topic of what is vocation is a very exciting one, because it shows very clearly how we humans, in contrast to God, interpret vocation.

From a worldly perspective ...

In a secular context, vocation is often understood as a personal destiny. It is the deeply felt conviction that one should fulfill a certain task or activity that brings meaning, fulfillment and satisfaction. It is often associated with professional activities or talents that a person can uniquely pursue.
Characteristics of the worldly vocation:

• Passion: Something that inspires you emotionally.
• Talent: Skills and talents that distinguish you for a specific task.
• Contribution: A feeling of making a positive difference in the world.

and biblical perspective

In the biblical understanding, vocation is a God-given mission or destiny that encompasses both the individual life and the relationship with God. Vocation is not a purely personal decision, but a response to God's will. It goes beyond the question, what we should do, to the question, who we are in God's eyes.

The Bible describes vocation in several dimensions:

1. Universal vocation: All people are called to live in relationship with God, to serve him and to carry his love into the world. In Romans 8:28 (Schlachter) we read:
   "But we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to purpose.„
2. Individual vocation: Each person has a unique task or role in God's plan that corresponds to their gifts and talents. Ephesians 2:10 (Schlachter) describes this:
   "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
3. Community vocation: Vocation often happens in the context of community. Christians are called to be part of the body of Christ (the church) and to fulfill God's mission together, as Paul wrote in his letter to the 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 sets out:

12 For just as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the one body, though many, are one as a body, so also is Christ.
13 For we have all been baptized by one Spirit into one body, whether we are Jews or Greeks, bond or free, and we have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For even the body is not one member, but many.
15 If the foot said: I am not a hand, therefore I do not belong to the body! - does that mean it does not belong to the body?
16 And if the ear were to say: I am not an eye, therefore I do not belong to the body! - does that mean it does not belong to the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If it were all ear, where would the sense of smell be?
18 But now God has inserted the members, each one of them, into the body as he willed.
19 But if everything were a limb, where would the body be?
20 But although there are many limbs, there is only one body.
21 And the eye cannot say to the hand: I don't need you! or the head to the feet: I have no need of you!
22 Rather, it is precisely the seemingly weaker members of the body that are necessary,
23 and those [members] of the body that we consider less honorable we surround with the greater honor, and our less honorable ones receive the greater respectability;
24 for our decent ones do not need it. But God so joined the body together that he gave the lesser member all the greater honor,
25 so that there is no discord in the body, but that the members care for one another equally.
26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; and if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
27 But you are [the] body of Christ, and each one is a member [of it] according to his part.

How do I recognize vocation?

In the worldly sense …

Recognizing a worldly calling often happens through self-exploration and experience. The following steps can help:

• Discover strengths and passions: What do you like to do? What are you particularly good at?
• Get feedback from others: People around you can often see your talents better than you can.
• Try it out: Vocation often becomes clear through practical experience. Get involved in different areas and reflect on what fulfills you the most.
• Looking at the contribution to the world: Think about how you can enrich the lives of others with your skills.

and biblical sense

Recognizing your divine calling requires an attitude of openness towards God. The following steps can help you to do this:

• Prayer and relationship with God: Vocation begins in closeness to God. Take time in prayer to seek his guidance. In James 1:5 (Schlachter) it says: "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask it of God, who gives to all gladly and without reproach, and it will be given to him."
• The Bible as a guide: God's will is often made clear in his word. The Bible gives you orientation as to which values and tasks have priority in God's kingdom. Read texts on vocation in particular, such as the story of Moses (Exodus 3) or Paul (Acts 9).
• Recognize gifts and talents: God has given each person specific gifts that are part of their calling. In Romans 12:6 (Schlachter)it says: "but we have various gifts of grace according to the grace given to us; if we have prophecy, [let it be] in accordance with faith."
  These gifts can be natural talents or spiritual gifts (such as teaching, helping, encouraging).
• Advice and confirmation from others: Sometimes other people see more clearly what we are called to do. Seek spiritual mentors or friends who can help you hear God's voice.
• Circumstances and opportunities: God often works through the circumstances of our lives. Notice which doors open and where your path leads you. Be sensitive to opportunities in which you can serve God.
• Peace in the heart: A sign that you have recognized your calling is inner peace. Colossians 3:15 (Butcher) says "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which you were also called in one body; and be thankful!".

Obstacles and challenges

• Self-doubt: We often feel unqualified. But God does not call the able, he empowers the called.
• Fear of failure: Vocation is a growth process. Mistakes are part of the journey.
• Comparison: Everyone has a unique calling. Don't look enviously at the vocation of others, but focus on your own path.

Living your vocation in everyday life

Vocation is not just a one-off event, but a lifelong process. It is about asking God every day: "What do you want me to do today?" A calling often manifests itself in small things - in service to the family, at work or in the church.

In Micah 6:8 (Schlachter) it says: "You have been told, O man, what is good and what the Lord requires of you: What else but to do justice, practice love and walk humbly with your God?„

The lifelong process

In the old days, the question hardly ever arose, as the parents' profession usually dictated the path, farming had to be continued, a restaurant or a doctor's practice had to be taken over. That was just the way it was and was not particularly questioned.

Today, even young children know what they want to be when they grow up, be it a railwayman, pilot, fireman, doctor, etc.. These ideas are either the result of experiences, stories or role models, for example.

These do not always coincide with the actual gifts, which develop more clearly and become more present over time.

Excursus - Find your calling

A successful manager in a large company, of course he earned well, enjoyed prestige and a luxurious life that made his career possible. However, every working day ultimately became routine, meetings, decisions, figures, all waste paper, nothing really fulfilling.

Even as a child, Daniel had a great passion for music. He played the piano, wrote his own songs and dreamed of touching people with his music. But as he grew older, he was told that music was "not a real profession". So he opted for a "safe" course of study and left his passion behind.

But the more he advanced professionally, the more a question nagged at him: "Is this really what I was made for? Is this supposed to be everything?"

One day, he was invited by an old friend. One of the musicians in the parish youth group had been absent due to illness and they remembered that he used to be an enthusiastic musician who would certainly love to fill in. His enthusiasm was limited, but he didn't want to offend his good old friend and agreed, albeit hesitantly. When he finally sat there at the piano and saw how the young people were touched by the music, he felt a joy that he had never known in his professional life. For the first time in years, he felt truly alive. He would have loved to extend the "lesson" well into the evening!

After that evening, he couldn't shake off the thought: was music perhaps his true calling after all?

Now he wanted to find out and began to look closely at the question of what vocation actually means. He read Colossians 3:23 „And whatever you do, do it from the heart, as for the Lord and not for men, ...". And a little later Romans 12:6-7 „But we have various gifts of grace according to the grace given to us; if we have prophecy, [let it be] in accordance with faith; if we have a ministry, [let it be] in serving; he who teaches, [let him] serve in teaching;„.

That was it: he realized that vocation is not just a job or a profession. It is what God has created you for. It's not just about money or success, but about serving others with your gifts and doing something meaningful.

After much prayer and discussion with his pastor and close friends, he decided to give up his secure and financially lucrative job. From then on, he worked as a music teacher, gave piano lessons and wrote songs for Christian events.

Despite the fact that he no longer had financial security, not to mention the amount and continuity of his monthly income, he felt a deep inner satisfaction: "Now he finally lived his true calling."

Conclusion

This example shows that vocation is not always what brings us the most financially or is considered successful by society. It is what fills us with deep joy and with which we can serve others.

Sometimes it takes time to recognize your calling. But if we listen to God's guidance, he will show us the way to a Proverbs 3:5-6 described "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding; know Him in all your ways, and He will make your paths straight.„.