This weekend I went to see the movie, Amazing Grace, about the inspiring life of William Wilberforce. Of his calling in life, Wilberforce stated, “Almighty God has set before me two great objectives: The abolition of the slave trade and the reformation of society.” His persevering work eventually led to the abolition of the slave trade as well as revivals that significantly contributed to the reformation of the culture of his day.
A key decision point in his life came after he had successfully begun his career in the British parliament. He felt himself returning to a faith in Christ that he had known as a child, felt himself being called by God. At this point, Wilberforce seriously contemplated leaving political leadership, though he was an acknowledged rising star, in order to enter the ministry. The counsel of friends, activists in the abolition movement, and the powerful challenge by the pastor of his youth, John Newton, the writer of the song, Amazing Grace, steered him away from ministry and, as they say, the rest is history.
to view a call of God as a call to “full-time vocational ministry” is one of the fundamental errors people make
Wilberforce’s initial tendency to view a call of God as a call to “full-time vocational ministry” is one of the fundamental errors people make as they begin to grow in their commitment to God. This has come about evolved over time and now our prevailing worldview divides the world into “sacred” and “secular” categories. And the corresponding value is that the “sacred” is more important than the “secular”. Therefore, the “ministry” is more important than the “secular” world of “work.” The thinking continues to the conclusion that those in the “sacred” world are more spiritual and spiritually committed than those in the “world.”
Wilberforce was persuaded by those that counseled him that he could follow the call of God, that he could live out his sacred calling by being passionately and transformatively engaged in his political duties.
Too often, I have seen people of great faith and spiritual commitment feel as if they were spiritual second class citizens or that they had missed their calling or that they were really not as committed as they should be because they did not enter the ministry. Even late into their lives, they wonder about leaving their businesses or careers to enter the ministry or give themselves to a second half of life that makes up for the first half.
The great lesson of Wilberforce’s life, and the teaching of the Scriptures, is that your life and your work are spiritual if done for Christ. And if done for Christ, then you can have a transformative impact on this world. God has gifted you and placed you in the world to serve Him and others through your everyday calling of work.
Reflect on this quote by Os Guiness, in his outstanding book, The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life
Work, for most of us, determines a great part of our opportunity for significance and the amount of good we are able to produce in a lifetime. Besides, work takes up so many of our waking hours that our jobs come to define us and give us our identities. We become what we do.
Calling reverses such thinking. A sense of calling should precede a choice of job and career; and the main way to discover calling is along the lines of what we are each created and gifted to be. Instead of, “You are what you do,” calling says: “Do what you are.”
