A vocation for each of us

From Scot McKnight's book 'Jesus Creed' (p.84):

Our vocation is to be what God made us to be, as many have learned only after considerable struggle. Parker Palmer, after decades of wrestling to please others, came to a shady oasis when he absorbed some Quaker wisdom on vocation: "Let your life speak." His spark of insight: "Before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you."

What Palmer is asking us to learn is this: God will not ask us, "Were you (like) Mother Theresa or the prophet Daniel or Peter or your father or mother?" Instead, God will ask us, "Were you the 'you' I made you to be?" Os Guinness echoes this wisdom: "The truth is not that God is finding us a place for our gifts but that God has created us and our gifts for a place of his choosing - and we will only be ourselves when we are finally there."

You are to be who God meant you to be, as the wise of the Church have always known. One who learned this lesson so well is the mother of Jesus, Mary, who also pulls her story up to the table of Jesus. It is the story of her past being swallowed up in the goodness of God.

Scot does a good job pointing out that vocation isn't just how one goes about being a Christian, and it's not just our job. He says it is "the special assignment that only you can do". That might include your occupation, or it might be your specific role as a parent, or how you fit into your particular work environment, or social circle, or..... whatever. It's you being you.

Cool. So.... be you!