What is your profession? (Oct 22-28)

This week’s snapshots:

Happy Saturday, nerds!

I have been fighting a head cold all week and therefore felt totally useless and hopeless on the road. Texas has been hot and humid, but the locals call this, “fall weather” and all but refuse to turn on air conditioning inside so I don’t melt. Now, it’s possible that I’ve been feverish and am overreacting - but it’s also possible that this is just the absolutely wrong climate for me.

Dallas Willard is my favorite Christian author possibly of all time, because every time I read his words, I find my faith burning afresh inside of me. His understanding (or innerstanding) of God and His plan for the Earth makes so much more sense than what I grew up with and the Words I wrestle with. An interesting tidbit from last week’s reading provides the material for my mulling this week.

Due to linguistic drift and changing sentiments over time, the word “profession” is synonymous today with the word “occupation.” However, this is not the specific meaning “profession” was supposed to, and indeed once did, convey! While all jobs “occupy” our time, it used to be that there were only three jobs that required a profession, or an oath, in order to be considered a professional: doctors (with the Hippocratic Oath), lawyers (with an oath being professed at the passing of the bar exam), and clergy.

These three professions used to be held in high esteem by the public because of their extra dedication to the goodwill of all humankind, as expressed by their sacred oath before God and men to do and be better than average because of the life-altering nature of their labors. And purportedly, medical, law, and ministerial professionals were perhaps truly set apart from the general public and conducted their labors with greater honor and severity because of the integrity required to promise God, and be held to that promise by other people, that you would do right by your community in e v e r y aspect.

While some of you are professionals in the specific sense, most of us are actually just tradesmen: we trade our time and skill for someone else’s time and skill. But if an oath is the only maker of a professional, then all of us can make a profession of goodwill from the vantage of our occupation! 

I have written, and do profess to you today, this promise as I work with cables, speakers, and lights: that I will never leave anything in a ceiling that I suspect could fall onto an innocent person, but will always secure everything with the future generations who will stand under them in mind. I will not leave bare copper accessible to anyone who does not know what they are doing, and I will always make it evident which cable goes where and does what so that future someones can discern the purpose of each line. And I will always take the time to secure cables aesthetically as a gesture of goodwill towards the people I work with and the people I work for.

Furthermore, whether or not I am “on the clock,” I will give of my resources generously. I will not speak flippantly, but will do what I say I will do. I will not find any task to be above or beneath me but will seek to accomplish everything that needs accomplishing in the most efficient manner. I will keep relationships on a higher priority than tasks, I will face my fears, and I will be loved by God and those around me.

…

If being “professional” is just about how much money you can make, you might be missing out. Being professional is about the quality of person you are - not how big you can make your hourly rate. Anyone can practice the skills required to command a big paycheck, but only you can profess the quality of person performing your skills ;)

So my dear friends, are you a professional? What is your profession? Is it different from your occupation?

Tell me more,

-Beth