Common Vocation and Unique Gifts
“Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus…. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.” -Ephesians 2: 7-10 The Message
We were all made for a purpose:
- to love and worship our Creator
- to spread the Good News of salvation
- to love and serve one another
That is our common vocation. At the same time, you are uniquely you, gifted with certain interests and talents, passions and drives, with which you are expected to live out our common vocation in your particular way.
“We are God’s people, the sheep of His pasture.” – Psalm 100:3
And yet we were also made for relationship. In the Bible first and foremost, sheep are the symbol for sacrificial atonement; Jesus as the Lamb of God became the final Paschal sacrifice once and for all. Beyond that, sheep are the most common and central metaphor for humans and the Church with Jesus, of course, being the Good Shepherd. Sheep are useful for milk, wool, and meat. They could be given as gifts and loved as family pets. They are generally docile and compliant, but also rather stupid, and in constant need of guidance. As in the classic scene from Thomas Hardy’s Far From the Madding Crowd, if one goes over the cliff the rest will often follow.
Sheep are meant to flock together. They were not given fangs and claws to fight off predators. When a lone sheep wanders away (a metaphor for sin), it is in grave danger. No wonder the shepherd in the parable rejoices when the lost sheep is found and returned to the flock. It is important to stay with the flock, to listen to guidance from the shepherd, and to beware of “wolves in sheep’s clothing.”
Asch’s Conformity Experiment
“Asch’s experiment is a classic. It reveals how people will deny what they see, and submit to group pressure.”
In 1951, Solomon Asch’s conformity experiment revealed the power of peer pressure on an individual. Dr. James Dobson references the experiment in his book Preparing for Adolescence, and notes that not only is the problem real, but it can be dangerous as well. “The reason conformity is so dangerous is that it can cause you to do things that you know are wrong. This is what happens when you don’t have the courage to be different from your [so-called] friends.”
“Crucify Him!”
Each of us has a story about doing something we shouldn’t have because we were dared or pressured to do so. When I was 15 or 16, an older neighborhood boy convinced me to help him steal an entire wheel from a car similar to his so that he wouldn’t have to buy a new tire. We left it sitting on its axle. When I was 18 or so, a friend convinced me to go see a movie that was “banned in 41 countries!” The disturbing images remain in my mind all these years later.
When the beaten and bloody Jesus was presented to the crowds by Pontius Pilate, he gave them the opportunity to say “Wow, look what we have had done to this innocent preacher. That’s enough punishment. Go ahead and release him as you suggest.” But the Jewish leaders would have none of it, inciting the people to yell “Crucify him! Crucify him!” instead. Have you ever wondered if you would have yelled right along with them?
The Power of a Friend
“The power of the groupthink came not from its numbers, but from the unanimity of its opposition. When that unanimity is punctured, the groups power is greatly reduced.”
But wait! Asch’s experiment revealed that if the subject had one person agreeing him, he was much more likely to overcome the opposition and stand up for what he believed was right. Like you, a good and godly friend will make mistakes, but is one who will support and encourage you in doing right, counsel and discourage you when doing wrong, and love you through joy and difficulties. Choose your friends wisely, friends who love and worship God and serve others out of that love. Friends who will travel with you and the rest of the flock in the shadow of the Good Shepherd, while you each perform your assigned tasks using the unique gifts and passions He gave you.
“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He then said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” [Jesus] said to him, “Feed my sheep.” -John 21:15-17
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