In this episode, I continue my conversation with Dr. Joshua Miller, and we talk about what personal vocation looks like in everyday life. Dr. Miller shares stories from his own vocational discernment, the many “yesses” that shaped his path, and the confirmations God provided along the way. Learning to protect our deepest call helps us to discern what truly matters.
Reflection and Discussion Questions:
Dr. Miller describes how his family of origin’s commitment to the defense of unborn life helped him to discover his particular passion for each human life as unique and “precious before the Lord.” Do you see any continuation or consistency in your upbringing as it relates to what you know of your personal vocation?
“God crafts us with a certain kind of hunger for those goods that are ours to seek out,” reflects Dr. Miller. He adds that we are better able to serve those entrusted to us when we find something to do professionally that “taps into that hunger.” Have you been able to find that “something”? Ideally, we can work in a profession that fills us up. Sometimes, we must find it in other parts of our life. Reflect on what fills–and fulfills–you, and how engaging in it, rather than being selfish, may actually help you make a greater gift of yourself?
We may notice a pattern or rhythm to our best work, as Dr. Miller did when he realized that his drive to understand and process a body of knowledge and then develop teachable content around it was not only personally satisfying but deeply fruitful. He noticed a “pattern of gift.” The challenge then is to guard our time and energy to ensure we say, as he did, “no to other invitations if they take me away from that rhythm.” Look over your calendar. What obligations and invitations tend to take you away from your most fruitful rhythms? Could you say “no” to any of these?
Resources Mentioned:
Unrepeatable: Cultivating the Unique Calling of Every Person by Dr. Joshua Miller and Luke Burgess
Personal Vocation: God Calls Everyone by Name by Russell Shaw and Germain Grisez
Christifideles Laici (The Lay Members of Christ’s Faithful People) by St. John Paul II
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