20. My vocation will never fully meet my need for meaning and value in life.
(Before looking at the questions below, take a few minutes to think about this statement. Invite Jesus to speak to you about what He would like you to notice.)
WHEN YOU EXPERIENCE DISSATISFACTION IN YOUR WORK, HOW DO YOU RESPOND?
WHEN YOU CONSIDER YOUR “INNER YOU,” HOW IS YOUR VOCATION HELPING YOU GROW IN INNER HEALTH?
HOW IS YOUR CAPACITY FOR HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS GROWING?
HOW DO THE DIFFICULTIES OF YOUR WORK MOVE YOU TOWARDS GOD?
In his Confessions, Augustine famously said, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” These often quoted words capture the reality that each person has a longing, desire, and thirst for something meaningful and profound in their lives. Augustine recognized that our longing can only be met when we “rest in God”. What Augustine also communicates in this statement is that as humans, we often look for this “rest” in places other than God.
It is a paradox that, though we were created to be creative, to work and to find joy in our work, the deep longing in our hearts cannot be fully met by what we experience in our work. What each person longs for can only be found in a relationship, ultimately a relationship with God. When we seek to meet our desire for meaning through our work, we will eventually be disappointed. We tend to worship what we think will bring us true happiness or joy. We are made to worship, we do that naturally, and we place all our hopes, dreams, and desires in what we worship.
Unfortunately, we worship many things that are incapable of providing what we want: our bodies, bank accounts, jobs, achievements, families, spouses, etc. When we worship anything other than God, we will fail to experience what we long for. This is true in our vocations. They simply cannot meet the deep desires that we hold. C.S. Lewis, in his sermon, “The Weight of Glory,” says, “we remain conscious of a desire which no natural happiness will satisfy.”
Finally, we must come to understand that we are created to be relational and that our deepest longings will only be found in a relationship with another person and that no human is capable of fully and continually meeting our deepest need. Only a relationship with God, our Creator, Jesus, and Spirit can do that. Work is important, essential, but if will never meet our deeper longings and needs.