Since working for The Salvation Army I have truly learned, through witnessing many of my colleagues in action that there is a clear difference between a “job” and a “vocation”. A vocation IS always a job, but not necessarily the other way around.
A “job” prompts images of slogging to work every morning and returning home every evening, exhausted, time and energy deprived, loads of responsibilities and the inherent stress to go along with it. With a job, “work” most literally becomes a “chore”.
A “vocation” takes on a different shape. It is still “work”, but it incorporates the much needed element of “passion”. There is a care and purpose in the work.
I didn’t have that before. But I do now.
My teachers have been my fellow workers, our employees and our volunteers. Each and every day there are numerous examples of them doing FAR more than is expected. Whereas people in a “job” are content to “finish” work at a certain time, those in vocation never seem to settle … they keep pushing the limits of what is possible, not because they have to, but because they want to.
Just last weekend, three members of our leadership team, on three different assignments in three different locations, all worked through an entire night to accomplish their tasks – literally. I have had numerous employees say they were taking a day off or a week vacation only to find they are working, checking in, staying in touch and ensuring that the projects they are working on are executed ‘just right’. That’s vocation work! They simply amaze me every day (I can’t believe one of my functions is to teach and coach people on how to take a day off! Many leaders would kill to have it so good
).
And then there is a beautiful example from our Cambridge store. One of our young volunteers, a super young guy named Max, handed our store Manager, Lesa, a cheque made out to The Salvation Army for a very sizable amount. He mentioned it was from his parents, but added that he had contributed as much as he could. Consider that Max volunteers his time selflessly to The Salvation Army and you have a young person clearly focused on mission, purpose and vocation. There’s a lot we can all learn from Max. He teaches us that there is joy in the work we do that transcends money, status, ambition or accolades. I’m grateful to Max for this lesson and for his generosity.
I encourage all of you, the next time you see someone “working” as a part of The Salvation Army, to recognize that he/she is involved in mission, working with purpose and commitment, and beyond expectation – knowing that they are serving their fellow man in various capacities. If only we had more people in our workforce and our society like the five people mentioned above, we would have kinder, more compassionate, more selfless and more giving communities.
I’m challenged by this. Are you?