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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