A couple of days ago, I was struck by a thought that seems fairly obvious, but somehow isn't. I have been debating the worth of actually sharing it. I decided that if it makes a difference to me, it must be worth blogging.
A minister is not a better Christian than an engineer. A missionary is not a more useful Christian than an accountant. The presiding bishop is not a better Christian than the courtesy clerk at Pick'n'Pay.
Intellectually, I've known this for a very long time. Practical belief has been longer in coming. It is coming together in my head and my heart now, though. I am beginning to see that any aspect of Christian life (and by extension, all life) is only right if God calls you to it. When it is right, it is as absolutely right as right can be.
I think God gives us each a different set of tools and that no tool is better than another. A front-end-loader moves a lot of earth, but a trowel is considerably more useful for planting seedlings. People might even notice the hole in the ground more than the seedling, but it isn't intrinsically better or more righteous.
The best we can be is to be what God asks us to be. As John Milton put it, 'They also serve who only stand and wait'.
I quite agree. There could be a few things a person does well, but something about doing one's calling has a wholeness to it that no amount of perfection in another line of work can supplant.
ReplyDeleteCoincidentally, I think of and use that Milton quote all the time!!!
The other quote I thought of when I read your post--"End the compare-athon!" Which I often have to tell myself.