There is a strong relationship between resilience and vocation.
First, we should define what we mean by vocation. The word vocation comes from the Latin word “vocare,” meaning “to call.”
Usually, we hear this word in the context of trying to increase vocations to the priesthood and religious life. However, this word encompasses much more and everything God may call you to do to share His image with the world.
By investing in the callings you have received from God and striving to live them out, you will become more of what God created you to be and improve your resilience.
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Research on Resilience and Vocation
Researchers have found the following things in the area of vocation to be associated with resilience:
- Having goals and working towards them (1)
- Romantic bonds (2)
- Having a purpose in life (3)
- Having an intersection of likes, talents, and values in your work (Resilient by Rick Hanson)
This list doesn’t explicitly cover all potential areas of one’s vocation, such as a vocation to the priesthood or religious life. Still, one could extend the above findings to these vocations to show how living them out can improve resilience. For example, a vocation to the priesthood or religious life gives life purpose and creates meaningful work. A religious sister’s romantic bonds would be with God instead of someone on Earth.
The Levels of Vocation
In Called by God by Rachael Marie Collins, we hear about different levels of vocation.
As mentioned above, the word vocation comes from the Latin word for “to call.” Someone has to do the calling, and that someone is God, meaning vocations are relational. They are personal calls God gives us about how He wants to relate with us and, through us, relate with others.
Above all, our vocation is to be God’s beloved children and to have a relationship with Him. All other levels of vocation stem from that relationship.
The second level of vocation is state-in-life vocations. These vocations are how God calls us to relate to Him and be His image.
- Through their commitment to each other and their families, those called to the married life become an image of the Trinity and the love of Christ and His Church.
- Those called to religious life become images of the unity with God that we will have in Heaven.
- Those called to the priesthood become an image of Christ through their devotion to the Church.
The final vocation level is other things God calls us to do, such as employment, volunteer pursuits, etc. One’s state in life vocation ought to have priority over these other callings, but these other callings are still important.
Thus, by investing in these levels of vocation, we can improve our resilience.
How to Improve Resilience Through Your State-in-Life Vocation
We can improve our resilience by investing in our state-in-life vocations and seeking to live them better out.
For the married couple, you can set aside intentional time to grow in your relationship with your spouse and children. Things like date nights, family dinners, family accountability, and more can be intentional ways to grow in those relationships. You can also invest in learning about marriage and parenting and applying what you learn.
For the priest, this could involve learning more about how a parish runs, learning more about the faith so you can pass it on, learning important skills for your priestly ministry, intentionally investing in the lives of your flock, and seeking to be present as you go about your priestly duties.
For those in religious life, you might figure out ways to better invest in your community and your spousal relationship with the Lord.
Finally, if you are single, take advantage of this time to discern your vocation. Go on discernment retreats, talk to people in the vocation you feel called to, go out and meet people, and date if you feel called to. Additionally, this may be a time in your life to invest more in your tertiary vocation as you prepare for your state-in-life vocation.
How to Improve Resilience Through Your Tertiary Vocation
This area of life varies greatly from person to person. For some, their state-in-life vocation is all-encompassing, such as those called to religious life whose work is tied up in their unique calling or those who, for a season, may be called to focus on parenting.
But many of us are called to things other than our state-in-life vocation, such as a career, a specific pursuit, or a specific ministry. We should continually discern this area, as God may call us to different things at different seasons of life.
How do we determine if God calls us to a tertiary vocation?
In The Rhythm of Life, Matthew Kelly suggests keeping a list of your dreams and referring back to them regularly in prayer. If certain dreams keep coming up, this may be a sign that God is calling you to focus on them.
Another thing to consider is the unique gifts that God has given you. Jennifer Fulwiler’s book Your Blue Flame treats this topic very well. She defines blue flames as unique gifts God gives us that bring us energy and contribute goodness to the world. Work to discover your blue flames, as your tertiary vocation(s) may involve that.
Finally, consider things you are passionate about.
Callings from God for how to use our lives typically are a place of intersection of these three areas. Here are some examples of these tertiary vocations in action:
- A woman who loves to cook and is passionate about helping new parents might make meals for new moms.
- Someone with the gift of playing piano and passionate for great liturgical music might join the choir.
- Start a ministry using your gifts that fills a need in the world.
- A computer programmer who is great at what he does might get a high-paying job because he is passionate about supporting his family and donating to charity.
- A joyful retiree who loves people becoming a cashier because she wants to share her joy with others.
Make dreaming, discernment of your gifts, and considering the needs of the world and your passions a regular part of your life. Make yourself available to God, and not only will you grow in resilience by living out your God-given purpose in life, but He will use you to do amazing things.
Conclusion
To grow in these areas and improve your resilience, I challenge you to do the following:
- Invest more in your state-in-life vocation through one particular habit. You may implement a date night with your spouse, a family game night, or a commitment to really getting to know members of your community or your parish.
- Take some time to sit with the Lord in prayer and think about your gifts, the world’s needs, and your passions. Dream with God without limits. Ask Him for small steps you can take to fulfill those dreams and make plans for achieving them.