Article November 14, 1994 Issue

Making a living? Or discovering who you really are?

Nancy E. Grefé

Have you ever noticed how frequently—even routinely —you're asked to explain what you do for a living? Perhaps you've applied for a check-cashing card at the local grocery store. Or responded to a marketing survey. Maybe a census form has arrived in the mail. Even during chats with fellow commuters, the question invariably comes up.

Probably the only time any of us notices is when we don't have a ready answer—when we're "between jobs," for example. Then, explaining becomes awkward. Groping for the right words can leave us feeling as if we've lost not only our job but a tangible means of identifying ourselves. It can even leave us questioning if we really count for anything in the larger scheme of things. Yet, whether we've been securely employed with the same firm for fifteen years or have recently joined the ranks of the unemployed, don't we ultimately need to look deeper for answers to questions about our career?

Once, when Jesus was talking to his disciples, he said that a sparrow couldn't fall to the ground without the Father being right there. Then he told his listeners not to be afraid, that they were worth more to God than many sparrows (see Matt. 10:29, 31). Think of the significance of that word picture: a God whose love is so tender and all-inclusive that not even a single sparrow can be lost sight of.

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