It’s a vocation not a job
There is an adage that advises a young person to choose to work at a job he loves and he’ll never work a day in his life. It’s one of those sayings that is cloaked in shades of gray. The truth is, with every job, no matter how much we love our work, there will be days when we are called upon to do something distasteful.
Motherhood is certainly no different. Even if all you’ve ever wanted was to be a mother, there will be days when this vocation seems to be nothing but work. Therein is the twist for the faithful. We don’t choose our jobs — we answer a call. This isn’t a job; it’s a vocation, chosen for us by our good God to bring us closer to Him in life and to enable us to spend eternity with Him in heaven. Our work both brings sanctifying grace and requires grace.
Our vocation is a gift to us, given by God. If we have discerned in faith and holiness, we can be assured that the work we do is exactly the work He has chosen for our sanctification. And there is true joy in that, no matter how unpleasant the tasks of the day. We are laborers in His vineyard and no matter how unripe the grapes are now, the wine is sweet indeed.
In this country, we forget sometimes how very blessed we are to be able answer our call in relative freedom. If God calls us to the convent or the mission field or the monastery, we can go. It is a privilege to work for God and, in this country, it is a right to be able accept the offer of that privilege. Even mothers are denied fulfilling their vocations in some countries. The next time we are tempted to bemoan the drudgery of three in diapers at once, remember that in China such a scenario would be an enormous blessing for the mother whose heart grieves for the babies she is not allowed to bear.
Our vocations are God’s gifts to us, but they are also specially chosen offerings that we give back to God. The “job” is God’s gift to us; what we do with it — and how we do it — is our gift to God. So, on those days when “something we love to do” feels very much like work, it is a good idea to stop and pray a little more often. We can ask for the grace to make the gift more beautiful for the Creator and we can also thank Him for the opportunity to shine it up. Think of it — we take something utterly ugly and distasteful and polish it with our attitudes.
This is where God calls us. This is the work He wants us to do. In this context, He will mold us and shape us. We are clay in the hands of the potter. But as we get older, we become more brittle and in the context of our vocations, He chisels as well. Those are the days that hurt. Those are the days it sure seems like a job. But if we can meet those days with our hearts and hands open to grace, those really are the best days of all.
Foss is a freelance writer from Northern Virginia. Her blog is www.ebeth.typepad.com.