Tapping into your talent
God's Word touches mind and heart
What started as a love of reading as a child has now become a passion and vocation for me. I started to read at a very young age (you know, Dr. Seuss and such), and developed a voracious appetite for books.
In high school two of my religion teachers used that interest to introduce me to the Bible. They showed me the Bible as a different world, a world full of mystery, culture, and riveting stories. They also emphasized the crucial importance of service: Reading the Bible can be wonderful, but it is rather empty if it does not lead to a change of life and to service of the community.
The influence of my teachers and friends led me to take a double major in theology and English at Boston College and later to obtain a master’s degree in theological studies from Harvard Divinity School. I am now enrolled in a Ph.D. program in New Testament Studies at Barry University in Miami. I want to pass on to others what my teachers gave me by becoming a university theology professor.
All this would be rather empty by itself. Studying scripture at the academic level is a valuable and worthy occupation, but it must represent more than an interest for something ancient. It is a living Word. For me, this study is a call of God, who has used the talents he has given me to open up a way of service for me. It is not a mere job, but something that changes my life. The message of the Bible comforts, guides, and challenges me.
It is true that I find God in so many other places, but scripture teaches me how God wants human beings to be and become. My hope is, through my profession as an educator, to lead others to an encounter with God in scripture and to help them to discern the message of God in their lives.
Your turn
- In which ways could your line of work also be a vocation and mission that fills your life with meaning?
