Career vs. Calling, the three types of people, Heritage vs. inheritance

In dreaming dreams for our children’s success I have sometimes overstepped my bounds as the father and tried to superimpose a career choice upon them. I am not a forceful person, nor am I coercive. But I would like to see my children do well in life. Not for the sake of earning money alone but rather for the sake of being a strong contributor within their marriage (when they are married), within their church and within society in general.




For the most part I have been pleasantly surprised by the individual progress made by each of my seven children and ultimately the decision of what to do with their lives will rest with them. I have tried to keep their focus on others rather than on self and on God rather that the world in which we live. As I spoke to one of my daughters tonight it dawned on me that it would be better to put this thought in print.



I suppose I have come to expect my children to have a calling rather than a career. It is wonderful when that calling (a deep, earnest desire to fill a specially chosen area of service/ministry) provides a career (a wage-earning job) but this is not always the case. Several of my daughters desire to follow in their mother’s footsteps and be – above all – a wife and mother. As such, they will earn very little compensation, no time off and absolutely no retirement plan.



Rather, they will earn the respect of their husband and children for whom they provide an invaluable service, both in the home, the church and the community. My life would be so different if my wife had not chosen as she has to be there for me and our children 24/7/365. Those of my daughters that seek such service will do well and I am proud of their choice.



Those who choose a career will do well also and I am proud of them for their perseverance and persistence in pursuit of that goal. I do feel that they will be the ones who sacrifice a sense of fulfillment for a sense of accomplishment: freedom to serve for a paid service.



I have told my children often that there are three kinds of people in this world – generally speaking. There are those who see a problem and choose to ignore it. There are those who are too distracted or too ignorant to even see that there is a problem. There are those who see a problem and find a solution to it. If you are the third type of person, you will always be sought after; at home, at work, at church, or in the community.



Perhaps the feeling of being “trapped” where I am has left me in a pensive mood. Perhaps it is that mother’s day is close at hand. Perhaps the recent losses of loved ones of friends and coworkers have bred a sense of introspection. Whatever the reason for this moody post, I would like for my children to, one day, look back on their lives and see that their accomplishment is measured by more that an accumulation of things – money, automobiles, real estate, etc.



I would like them to pass on a heritage, if possible, along with an inheritance. The former takes far greater effort than the latter.