There seems to be something woven deeply into the cultural and psychological fiber of humanity that points us toward adventure, toward doing something that we are meant to do, toward becoming someone we are meant to be. And almost always, embarking on such quests require us to forgo some sense of security or comfort, trading it for what we hope is something more fulfilling or meaningful for ourselves or for those whom we love.
It’s the heart of nearly every great story. Consider Bilbo and Frodo going forth from a life of comfort and peace in the Shire to confront the oppressive forces of evil in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, respectively. Or more recently in popular culture, consider Elphaba choosing to “defy gravity” and stand up to the Wizard’s regime in Wicked. Sometimes, as Odysseus faced in The Odyssey, adventure means fighting to return home and to begin a new chapter of life.
The idea of a beckoning or calling or summoning of sorts also pervades many of our conversations about our future lives and careers, conversations we have with each other about ourselves or with young adults and children about their future lives and careers. It might even be a conversation that some of us have with ourselves in our minds as we move through various phases of life with all of its triumphs and tragedies, its satisfaction and its suffering.
What should I be doing? Is it what I’m doing now? Or is it something else?
Such questions extend beyond careers and work-related matters, of course; they touch the very core of living life deliberately—or at least attempting to do so. They put us face-to-face with the finitude of our physical existence. We have only so many heartbeats, so it makes sense to use them wisely.
These questions and the ideas they evoke bring two related ideas to mind: (1) the biblical story of Jonah and (2) the idea of our work as a calling.
Jonah’s Call and Response
Many of my readers are likely familiar with the story of Jonah. It’s the subject of one of the shorter books in the Old Testament of the Bible (click here to read it), and it tells of a reluctant prophet named Jonah who, upon hearing God’s command to travel to the city of Nineveh and call for the repentance of its inhabitants, decides to head the opposite direction via a boat on the ocean.
While at sea, a great storm arises. The other people in the boat throw everything overboard in an attempt to stabilize the vessel to no avail. They then come to the conclusion that the storm is the result of the evil of one of them, and after casting lots, determine that it was Jonah.
Jonah offers himself to be thrown overboard, recognizing that it was his disobedience that had angered God. The other passengers and crew members oblige, throwing Jonah into to the sea as depicted below.
According to the story, the sea calms. Then, in the part of the story that sends atheists like Bill Maher into a frenzy of mocking incredulity, God sends a great fish to swallow Jonah, inside of which he stays for three days and three nights. Jonah prays, and God commands the fish to “vomit” Jonah up onto the land.
God again commands Jonah to go to Nineveh. This time, Jonah listens. He goes to Nineveh and tells them that the whole city will be overthrown in forty days. The king orders everyone to repent of their evil ways, and God spares them.
The main points that at least Catholic scholars suggest we should take from the story of Jonah are theological and metaphorical ones, not matters of history. Click here for a short explanation from Bishop Robert Barron, or scroll down to the bottom for a link to a related video version.
Drawing upon Barron’s reflections, here are a few points to consider:
We are all summoned to do something with our lives. Many times, the tasks or missions to which we are called are not attractive—they are often daunting.
Jonah runs! Like most of us, he chooses the path of least resistance. When we run from our calling, chaos—the storm—envelopes us. And the voice of God, the calling of Jonah, persists. The running doesn’t work.
Trapped and suffering within the fish, Jonah submits his will to the will of God, the will of something greater than himself. He is then released from his strange prison of sorts and is unleashed to go forth with his mission, which succeeds.
What are we avoiding? Or, put another way, what might we do for the greater good if we weren’t afraid?
Work as a Calling
Setting aside yet not forgetting the story of Jonah, there’s a whole body of research on the idea of vocations and work as a calling. It’s too expansive to summarize here, but there’s an article from a few years ago titled, “Work as a calling: A theoretical model,” which published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology. In that article, the authors nicely summarize much of the research on the topic in a way that helps us more fully understand this idea and why it matters.
First, they define a calling “as an approach to work that reflects seeking a sense of overall purpose and meaning and is used to help others or contribute to the common good, motivated by an external or internal summons.” (p. 426) This orientation toward one’s work differs from the idea of a job (doing something solely in exchange for material benefits) or of a career (work as a way to get ahead socially or in terms of power or prestige).
Some ideas we might reflect upon regarding these differing approaches toward work might include:
Is my work something that I do just for material benefits?
Is my work something I’m doing to move ahead in some way?
Or is my work something that truly gives me meaning and purpose through how it allows me to contribute to the greater good?
I think it’s important to note that these different ways of viewing one’s work—as a job, career, or calling—are simply that: different ways of viewing one’s work. There’s nothing inherently bad about viewing one’s work as a job or a career. While I see great value in discovering and following one’s calling through one’s employment, I also recognize that many people answer their calling in life through numerous non-work activities: raising a family, taking care of the elderly, or volunteering in the community. As I’ve written previously (click here), we have miniature adventures all around us; there’s an extraordinary valor in ordinary life.
Second, the authors of this research article identify the plausible conditions under which it’s more likely that someone lives his or her calling. The first is perceiving a calling—noticing that one is drawn toward doing something of importance for the greater good—and the second is having access to the opportunity to actually do that type of work. Of course, many barriers can block us from doing work that we think we’re being called to do.
Third, they identify both the positives and the potential negatives that can come from perceiving one’s work as a calling. The positives include increases in job satisfaction and performance. The potential negatives include workaholism, burnout, and the potential for the organization to exploit you because you care about the work so much. Balance matters.
What I find particularly valuable about the idea of work as a calling alongside the story of Jonah is that they both remind us that this project of life ultimately isn’t about us. There’s tremendous value in being on the lookout for ways in which we can all use our current situations to promote the greater good while also being watchful for new opportunities in which we might use our abilities in ways that are even more positive and influential.
We can run from our callings, but it seems like we can’t hide from them forever. And our families, organizations, and our society only get better through consistent effort. Will some of those efforts be mine? Yours?
In some way, I think we’re all being called to some form of “going to Nineveh.” The questions we must face, in big ways and in our everyday lives, are what does that look like, how might we do it, and when will we decide to go.
References and for further reading
Duffy, Ryan D., Bryan J. Dik, Richard P. Douglass, Jessica W. England, and Brandon L. Velez. "Work as a calling: A theoretical model." Journal of Counseling Psychology 65, no. 4 (2018): 423-439. Link
