career and vocation..

As I reflect on these years of teaching and consider future plans when all this clears, I'm reminded of the subtle difference between "career" and "vocation".

The word "vocation" comes from the Latin root word vocare which means "to call". A vocation can lead to a particular career but the the converse isn't true.

In Henri Nouwen's book titled, "Compassion", he urges us to distinguish carefully between vocation and career. Here are some exerpts from the book.

"In a world that puts such emphasis on success, our concern for a career constantly tends to make us deaf to our vocation. When we are seduced into believing that our career is what counts, we can no longer hear the voice that calls us together; we become so preoccupied with our own plans, projects, or promotions that we push everyone away who prevents us from achieving our goals."

"As soon as we think that are careers are our vocation, we are in danger of returning to the ordinary and proper places governed by human competition and of using our talents more to separate ourselves from others than to unite ourselves with them in a common life."

"A career disconnected from a vocation divides; a career that expresses obedience to our vocation is the concrete way of making our unique talents available to the community. Therefore, it is not our careers, but our vocation, that should guide our lives."

So what is God's vocation for me...and for you?