Deacon's Beacon . . .
by Jan Brown, Deacon
(from June 2000 Tidings)
Are you Walking and Working in God's Will? How do you know?
There are all different kinds of voices calling us to all different kinds of work. The
challenge is to determine which is the voice of God —and which is the voice of
society, the superego, or self interest.
The secret of happiness is not doing what one likes, but in liking what one has to
do. By and large, a good rule for finding your life's mission is this: The kind of
work God usually calls you to do is the kind of work that:
(a) you need most to do and,
(b) the world needs most to have done.
If you really get a kick out of your work, you have presumably met requirement (a)
— but if your work is writing advertising filled with sexually based innuendoes,
chances are you have missed requirement (b). On the other hand, if your work is with the
sick or needy, you have presumably met requirement (b), but if you are bored out of your
mind, chances are that you have bypassed requirement (a) and probably are not helping the
world much either.
It matters not whether we are in the workforce, volunteer, or among family, God has a
mission for each one of us and He wants us to be happy and productive in whatever we do.
In John 16:33, Jesus says, "I have told you these things so that in me you may
have peace. In this world you will have trouble But take heart! I have overcome the
world." By that, He means that our work in life may not always bring total joy,
there will be moments of trouble and stress — but it will bring contentment and
peace, which is happiness.
Where is your mission? The place God calls you is the place where your deep gladness
meets the world's deep hunger.
Joyfully,
Jan
(Taken in part from the "Hope Heart Institute" November 1999 Newsletter)
