In this blog, I will focus on the first two principles of Appropriate Independence.
Created on and For A Purpose…
For me, life has been a process of awakening to the diverse
and expansive nature of God’s activity in the world, corresponding with an ever
emerging clarity on how my unique set of strengths can be developed and concentrated
to join Him. The journey of
self-discovery has been, and I assume will continue to be, arduous. As Sir Ken
Robinson has stated,
“Human resources are like natural resources; they're often
buried deep. You have to go looking for them; they're not just lying around on
the surface. You have to create the circumstances where they show themselves.”
I’ve learned a lot about myself by not fitting in, failing, enduring difficult
circumstances, and by doing a thousand things I didn’t like doing, for
thousands of hours I would have preferred to be doing something else. But
through those experiences I’ve learned just as much about who God has made me
and what he has created me for. There is always something to learn from every
experience.
The greatest single factor influencing my decision to return
to Shepherds College in this new role was a clearer sense of vocation and
identity forged through a diversity of life experiences.
Individuals for Community
“Human communities depend upon a diversity of talent not a
singular conception of ability” – Sir Ken Robinson
In Robert Bellah’s book, Habits
of the Heart, he describes “expressive individualism” as the primary
contributor to our culture’s lack of “capacity to imagine a social fabric that
would hold individuals together.” His proposal for transformation is to “re-appropriate
the idea of vocation or calling, a return in a new way to the idea of work as a
contribution to the good of all and not merely as a means to one’s own
achievement.”
Tim Keller in his book, Every Good Endeavor, describes vocation
as work “re-imagined as a mission of service to something beyond merely our own
interests. Thinking of work mainly as a means of self-fulfillment, and
self-realization slowly crushes a person and undermines society itself.”
There is dignity and value in every good work. For example,
when I think about the roles people play here at Shepherds College, and I consider
how each role plays a part of the whole, one of the most essential
responsibilities is to sanitize the door handles, dining room, kitchen and
bathrooms to prevent the spread of germs and microbes. In so doing, the
employees in domestics literally save lives; seriously! Does that fit the criteria
of a vocation? Absolutely!
Each uniquely designed student at Shepherds College
possesses a set of qualities, strengths and abilities which are intended to
contribute to the distinctive character of their communities. They have been
undergoing this process for three years, and it will continue for a lifetime.
I
encourage them to learn from every experience.
I hope they see the work they do (whether paid
or voluntary) as a calling to contribute to their communities in a meaningful,
God-glorifying way.
And I hope they experience the fulfillment that comes with
doing something of such great importance.
Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.
