Frank Broyles
— Vocation
Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head, as he sat at table. But when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for a large sum, and given to the poor." But Jesus, aware of this, said to them . . . "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her." Matthew 26:6-13
Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you are serving the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24
God has a vocation for each of us. And sometimes it turns out to be a surprise.
I wanted to be a professional football player from the time I was eight years old. I practiced every chance I had. I studied plays and went out for every team that would take me. Then, in my last year of college, after several good seasons, the break came. I signed up with a professional football club. The contract was for a salary that was bigger than anything I'd ever earned before.
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But an odd thing happened. A short time after signing, I was contacted by a school and asked to take a position with them as coach. The salary they offered was about one third that offered by the football club and there were a number of additional headaches. But I immediately applied for a release from the football contract. A few weeks later I was free to accept that coach's position and I did. I've been a coach ever since.
What happened was this: God revealed to me His plan for my life. I wasn't as clear about it then as I am now. But I knew I'd never be happy with anything else but coaching. Today I have a solid, deep-down feeling of satisfaction because I know I'm in the vocation I should be in.
I'm sorry for the athlete today who looks over several football, basketball or baseball offers and picks one just because it holds out the biggest bonus. I'm sorry for the boy or girl who picks a profession simply for its monetary rewards. Because they will spend the rest of their lives wondering about that "other" vocation, the one God might have shown them if they'd been willing.
"Christian vocations" are not limited to the ministry, mission work, and other church-related careers. I believe bricklaying, weather forecasting or clerking in a store can be "Christian vocations." It's what we do with the vocations we have that makes them secular or Christian.
Take a college football coach, for example. He can bend over backwards to secure the best players, overlook it when they break training rules, and play to win every game on his schedule, fair or foul. And he can excuse all his actions with the remark, "Football and God don't mix!"
But a coach who is a Christian will look at his vocation differently.
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He will tell you that his task is to build football players. To do this best, he must build men. The best example of manhood the world has ever seen was Jesus of Nazareth. Therefore he points his boys toward Him.
The Christian coach is interested in what his boys are doing before and after the game as well as what they do on the field. He wants to win games. But even more, he wants to create character.
This process of bringing Christ into one's vocation can be done in every field of human activity.
Here are three handy rules for making and keeping your vocation Christian:
1. Keep Christ with you at all times. You'll be surprised how this practice puts your vocation into focus — or leads you to change it. If you really take Christ with you, there are probably a number of places you just won't go any more. You'll be too ashamed to.
There will be quite a few things you won't say any more. You won't want Him to be present listening to them. And many things you won't want to do any more.
On the other hand, you may find yourself going places you were never interested in before — just because you feel He would want you to. And you may find yourself doing and saying things differently for the same reason.
2. Be a good example. What we have is a gift from God but what we are is our gift to Him. And this is our example before the world. "Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men . . . you are serving the Lord Christ." If you take this verse seriously, people will begin to notice. And you will discover that it has nothing to do with the importance of your job as the world views "importance."
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Once, when Jesus was visiting with some friends, a woman came to Him and anointed His head with some very expensive oil. His disciples objected to what they considered waste. But Jesus recognized the sacrifice involved and said, ". . . wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her." It was a simple act, but it set a tremendous example.
3. Win others to Christ. This is the real "vocation behind the vocation" of every Christian. It should be said without apology. We are not here as Christ's disciples in the twentieth century just to make a fair living and die without debt. We are commissioned to spread the good news of the gospel.
When we do these three things, our vocations can be considered truly "Christian."
Prayer
Father in Heaven, help us to look to You for the special task You have for us on earth. May we receive our assignment gladly and try to find in it new ways to exalt Christ. We ask it in His name. Amen.
Frank Broyles was a halfback at Georgia Tech, and a head coach at the University of Missouri and University of Arkansas where his teams have been Conference and Holiday Bowl Champions; won the 1965 Cotton Bowl and voted 1964 Coach-of-the-Year. Currently Athletic Director at the University of Arkansas. Advisory Council, Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
