What is the interaction between the words calling and vocation?

Calling, what I believe to be

known as a life-purpose destined and revealed by God, has the potential to become an individual’s
vocation. For example, I have come to understand through slow, Divine revelation that my calling
involves sharing the love of Jesus Christ, supporting healing in lives around me, and interacting with
diverse groups. God revealed to me last year that this calling would play out through the vocation of
Marriage and Family Therapy, meaning that I am fortunate enough to have these two words intersect. I
do realize though, that for practical and financial reasons, one might not be able to make this intersection
a reality.
Because this idea of calling is a purpose revealed by God, we must first take a look at His nature.
God is a creator who treasures, adores, and loves his creation, despite our failure to return this love and
devotion. As we see through the Gospel story of Jesus Christ articulated in Romans 5:8-9, God is one
who saves, transforms, heals, and restores. Paul says in these verses, “But God demonstrates his own
love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by
his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” (Romans 5:8-9, New
International Version; NIV). Praise be to God.
The nature of humankind is a cyclical story from brokenness to redemption, from soul wounding
to soul healing. Living in a broken world signifies the inevitable existence of soul wounds. In my own
life, I see brokenness through the misconception of my identity: I do not measure up, I am not worthy, I
do not matter. I find that the healing of these misconceptions takes place through the interaction with the
restorative nature of the Living God. In the book Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of
Vocation, Parker Palmer (2000) makes the point that to be human is to have limitations. He says, “God
asks us only to honor our created nature, which means our limits as well as our potentials” (Palmer,
2000, p. 50). God does not ask us to be super humans, but just humans. This idea to me brings relief and
freedom.
When it comes to the healing process, Christians tend to hold onto the theology that the sufferer
should either repent from sin or conjure up more faith. Faith does play an important role in the healing
process, but Palmer (2000) offers a reframing thought that diverges from the white-knuckling-to-the-
Truth idea of faith. He states from personal experience, “I had to be forced underground before I could
understand that the way to God is not up but down” (Palmer, 2000, p. 69). The place to find God is the
descent into our wounds, and it is through faithfully taking this journey that one might find healing.
Healing often takes places with the help of a facilitator: a professional such as a mental health
counselor or a therapist. The professional’s understanding of ethical practice, technique, and the
therapeutic alliance hold importance in setting the stage for healing. This idea reveals the distinction
though – professionals do not do the healing, they only set the stage for it to take place. Whether or not
the professional is a Christian, we can be assured that the healing takes place from the Spirit of God
because “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly
lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17, NIV).
I find it to be a great honor and privilege that my calling is to professionally foster an
environment for healing in the lives of my future clients. In my effort to witness healing to created souls,
I hope to be a safe place for those who decide to take up their descending journey to God, embodying
the acceptance and love of Jesus Christ. I want to contribute an attitude towards my clients that a
beautiful metaphor for life is seasonal change, just as Palmer (2000) describes. He says, “The notion that
our lives are like the eternal cycle of the seasons does not deny the struggle or joy, the loss or the gain,
the darkness or the light, but encourages us to embrace it all – and to find in all of it opportunities for
growth” (Palmer, 2000, p. 96). I pray that as a therapist I embody this idea as well, and that through my
calling, others might find true healing.
 References
Palmer, P. J. (2000). Let your life speak: Listening for the voice of vocation. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-

Bass, Inc.