thing; you have an ability to see connections that no one else sees, to express truth in a compelling way, or to come up with the solution that’ s been eluding everyone else. If you’ re this kind of person, you won’ t have too much trouble imagining that you are made in the image of an imaginative God! The God who conceived of the cosmos in all of its complexity speaks imagination. Your ability to catch creative ideas that fly through your mind— that appear out of nowhere— is like God’ s!
Or maybe what drives you is a passion to save people and things: kids who don’ t have a chance, patients in an emergency room, or cars that aren’ t running properly. You see broken things, and you’ re undone— all you can think about is fixing them. You realize that you’ ve got the tools to help, and you want to help. Of course you come by this saving heart honestly. God saves, and Jesus is making all things new( Revelation 21:5); and his definition of“ all things” includes the people, places, and things that you save through your work.
The list of vocational love languages goes on and on.
What’ s yours?
As I’ ve conducted research for the many vocational sermons I’ ve preached( and written my book Every Job a Parable: What Walmart
Greeters, Nurses, and Astronauts Tell Us about God), I’ ve discovered that discerning your vocational love language comes down to three simple questions:
1. What do you love most about what you do? Recall one of those“ just right” moments of flow when you’ ve gotten lost in your work, when time seemed to disappear, and when you were caught up in the truth and goodness of what you were doing. Write down what happened and unpack it. Try to name the nature of what you love as fully as you can.
2. How is what you love like what God loves? In order to know what God loves, you need to be well versed in what the Bible teaches. When you know the God of the Bible, you’ ll have more perspective with which to recognize him at work. As you get to know God’ s creating, managing, and saving ways in the Scriptures, you’ ll be able to recognize him at work in those ways in you and in others.
3. What do others say you’ re good at? Ask a friend to name what you do best. Don’ t worry about your ego. If what you’ re good at is really a gift from God, then your friend’ s response will only draw attention to God. Sometimes our discerning is best done in community. Reverse the process and try naming where God is at work in others. As you learn to recognize God’ s vocational love
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