{"id":6113,"date":"2024-11-13T08:53:58","date_gmt":"2024-11-13T13:53:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/?p=6113"},"modified":"2024-11-13T08:57:19","modified_gmt":"2024-11-13T13:57:19","slug":"my-job-or-my-calling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/","title":{"rendered":"My Job or My Calling?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Have you ever questioned why you work in academia? I have.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

In a particularly challenging part of the 2023-2024 academic year, I questioned my place in academia. I confided in a sister in Christ and shared that \u2018endless emails and zoom calls\u2019 certainly couldn\u2019t be my calling. Her simple response gave me pause. She said, \u201cBut what if it is?\u201d<\/p>

Over the next several months, I wrestled with understanding my calling. I would read my Bible and see all these examples of great callings put on people\u2019s lives. I read in awe stories of Moses, Gideon, Abraham, and many more.<\/p>

No Neon Sign<\/strong><\/p>

Then I would come to work, answer emails, sit in on Zoom meetings, and look for my flashing neon sign pointing to \u201cmy calling.\u201d To my disappointment, I never saw a neon sign.<\/p>

Reading in Acts one day, it all finally started to make sense. Paul was a tentmaker. But tent-making wasn\u2019t his calling.<\/p>

Paul referenced his tent-making in Acts 20:34-35 when he said \u201cYou yourselves know that these hands have provided for my needs and for those who were with me. In every way I\u2019ve shown you that by laboring like this, it is necessary to help the weak and to keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus, for He said, \u2018It is more blessed to give than to receive.\u2019\u201d<\/p>

My Job Supports My Calling<\/strong><\/p>

My job, much like Paul\u2019s, is to provide for my needs and the needs of my family, giving us the means to support God\u2019s calling.<\/p>

In both the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, the Great Commission is recorded where Jesus commands all those who believe in Him to go and tell others about Jesus, to share the gospel.<\/p>

This, I believe, is my calling. To share about Jesus.<\/blockquote>

My primary calling is not to be a professor, teacher, or researcher, or to do any other job. My primary calling is to spread the gospel.<\/p>

A Weight Is Lifted<\/strong><\/p>

Now it\u2019s true God has made each of us uniquely skilled to do certain jobs, and it is also true that our job and our calling may intersect from time to time just as Paul\u2019s did when he shared the gospel with fellow tentmakers Aquila and Priscilla in Acts 18.<\/p>

But when I see my job as a means to support my calling rather than being my calling, a weight is lifted and the worldly pride and identity that can come with my position or title melt away.<\/p>

There may be days in academia where I\u2019m doing more tent-making than gospel-sharing. But even on those days, I know that I\u2019m working mightily for the Lord.<\/p>

A healthy view of my job and my calling creates space for the Holy Spirit to work in new ways \u2013 giving me new eyes to see and new ears to hear opportunities to share the gospel.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"unnamed_78c630\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Joy Rumble<\/strong><\/h3>

Agriculture Communication, Education, and Leadership<\/h3>

The Ohio State University<\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Have you ever questioned why you work in academia? I have. In a particularly challenging part of the 2023-2024 academic year, I questioned my place in academia. I confided in a sister in Christ and shared that \u2018endless emails and zoom calls\u2019 certainly couldn\u2019t be my calling. Her simple response gave me pause. She said, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45210,"featured_media":6116,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2439,2437,2436],"tags":[3437,2540,3438,2906,3229,3235,2502],"class_list":["post-6113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-grander-stories","category-personal-faith","category-professional-challenges","tag-academia","tag-calling","tag-job","tag-joy-rumble","tag-research","tag-teaching","tag-work"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMy Job or My Calling? - Faculty Commons<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"My Job or My Calling? - Faculty Commons\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Have you ever questioned why you work in academia? I have. In a particularly challenging part of the 2023-2024 academic year, I questioned my place in academia. I confided in a sister in Christ and shared that \u2018endless emails and zoom calls\u2019 certainly couldn\u2019t be my calling. Her simple response gave me pause. She said, […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Faculty Commons\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-11-13T13:53:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-11-13T13:57:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/652\/2024\/11\/unnamed-78.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2904\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2581\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mark Bouchillon\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mark Bouchillon\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mark Bouchillon\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/#\/schema\/person\/ef62843c55c0fbed8493061898e69675\"},\"headline\":\"My Job or My Calling?\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-13T13:53:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-11-13T13:57:19+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/\"},\"wordCount\":531,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/652\/2024\/11\/unnamed-78.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"academia\",\"calling\",\"job\",\"joy rumble\",\"research\",\"teaching\",\"work\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Grander Stories\",\"Personal Faith\",\"Professional Challenges\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/\",\"name\":\"My Job or My Calling? - Faculty Commons\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/652\/2024\/11\/unnamed-78.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-13T13:53:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-11-13T13:57:19+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/652\/2024\/11\/unnamed-78.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/652\/2024\/11\/unnamed-78.jpg\",\"width\":2904,\"height\":2581},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"My Job or My Calling?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/\",\"name\":\"Faculty Commons\",\"description\":\"The faculty and grad ministry of Cru\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Faculty Commons\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/652\/2022\/06\/cropped-FClogoBlkRGB-Endorsed.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/652\/2022\/06\/cropped-FClogoBlkRGB-Endorsed.jpeg\",\"width\":1095,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"Faculty Commons\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/#\/schema\/person\/ef62843c55c0fbed8493061898e69675\",\"name\":\"Mark Bouchillon\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5a69d9d6a36b873a1bbbf6108553cc32ee50c361912d8027596a46a156dd0279?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5a69d9d6a36b873a1bbbf6108553cc32ee50c361912d8027596a46a156dd0279?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Mark Bouchillon\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/author\/mark-bouchilloncru-org\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"My Job or My Calling? - Faculty Commons","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"My Job or My Calling? - Faculty Commons","og_description":"Have you ever questioned why you work in academia? I have. In a particularly challenging part of the 2023-2024 academic year, I questioned my place in academia. I confided in a sister in Christ and shared that \u2018endless emails and zoom calls\u2019 certainly couldn\u2019t be my calling. Her simple response gave me pause. She said, […]","og_url":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/","og_site_name":"Faculty Commons","article_published_time":"2024-11-13T13:53:58+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-11-13T13:57:19+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2904,"height":2581,"url":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/652\/2024\/11\/unnamed-78.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Mark Bouchillon","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Mark Bouchillon","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/"},"author":{"name":"Mark Bouchillon","@id":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/#\/schema\/person\/ef62843c55c0fbed8493061898e69675"},"headline":"My Job or My Calling?","datePublished":"2024-11-13T13:53:58+00:00","dateModified":"2024-11-13T13:57:19+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/"},"wordCount":531,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/652\/2024\/11\/unnamed-78.jpg","keywords":["academia","calling","job","joy rumble","research","teaching","work"],"articleSection":["Grander Stories","Personal Faith","Professional Challenges"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/","url":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/","name":"My Job or My Calling? - Faculty Commons","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/652\/2024\/11\/unnamed-78.jpg","datePublished":"2024-11-13T13:53:58+00:00","dateModified":"2024-11-13T13:57:19+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/652\/2024\/11\/unnamed-78.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/652\/2024\/11\/unnamed-78.jpg","width":2904,"height":2581},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/2024\/my-job-or-my-calling\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"My Job or My Calling?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/#website","url":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/","name":"Faculty Commons","description":"The faculty and grad ministry of Cru","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/#organization","name":"Faculty Commons","url":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/652\/2022\/06\/cropped-FClogoBlkRGB-Endorsed.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/652\/2022\/06\/cropped-FClogoBlkRGB-Endorsed.jpeg","width":1095,"height":300,"caption":"Faculty Commons"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/#\/schema\/person\/ef62843c55c0fbed8493061898e69675","name":"Mark Bouchillon","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5a69d9d6a36b873a1bbbf6108553cc32ee50c361912d8027596a46a156dd0279?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5a69d9d6a36b873a1bbbf6108553cc32ee50c361912d8027596a46a156dd0279?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Mark Bouchillon"},"url":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/author\/mark-bouchilloncru-org\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/652\/2024\/11\/unnamed-78.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"meta_box":{"_cloudsearch_visibility":"0"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45210"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6113"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6113\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6121,"href":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6113\/revisions\/6121"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/campus.cru.org\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}