An Inkling
He’s not one to brag, so I learned
by accident that one of our own was honored last week. Wally Smith was named the inaugural Florence Neal
Cooper Smith Professor of Sickle Cell Research at the VCU Medical School.
Endowed
professorships don’t just fall out of the sky, and this one came in recognition
of Wally’s work, both as a physician who cares for particular Sickle Cell
patients, and as a world-renowned researcher in the causes and cures of Sickle
Cell Anemia. I just knew Wally as a doc
who taught some, and who specializes in Sickle Cell treatment. So it was fun to learn just how fruitful his
vocation has been. And I’m sure it was
fun for his wife Peaches, their three children, his dad, and his brother, all
of whom joined his colleagues in celebrating this inauguration.
Did
you know Wally did all that? Many of us
didn’t. We just know him at the church
as a gifted worship leader and pianist.
All of this got me to thinking some about vocation. What do we as Christians believe about vocations
– our callings to serve God in particular ways?
Whole volumes are written on this, but I will offer you just a few
thoughts to ponder:- Part of what it means to be created in God’s image is that we have noble work to do – joining God in tending his creation. (Gen. 2:15)
- In our broken world we’re not always clear about our particular calling, consistent in carrying it out, or fully fruitful in its pursuit.
- In our broken world we all too often make our vocation more than it was designed to be, seeking ultimate meaning and identity in what is but one facet of our service to God.
- Our vocations are personal, but are not our sole accomplishment. That is, we don’t discern or practice our vocations without our colleagues and family’s help. So it was fitting that Peaches, the rest of the family, and Wally’s colleagues were there for this inauguration, for they had a big part in it themselves.
- All of us have multiple vocations. For Wally some vocations are (in no particular order): husband, father, son, doctor, professor, musician, elder, and friend. He has more. So do you.
- Discerning our vocation is not a one and done event in life undertaken as teens as we decide on a career. Vocations are multiple and shifting through life’s seasons, and most wisely pursued when we listen to the Lord’s directions.
- And finally, we need Jesus as Savior and Lord in this part of our lives as much as any other – as Savior to deliver us from our propensity to make vocation about ourselves, and as Lord to bring this important part of our lives into our larger calling to serve the Lord in the advancement of his Kingdom.
Wally,
we celebrate with you, and we thank you for being a living lesson in the Lord’s
gift of vocation. (Just don’t expect us
to cut you any slack around here because of this new title – ha!)
Blessings,
Keith
