Dharma, Vocation and Spiritual Gifts

It is better to strive in one’s own dharma than to succeed in the dharma of another. Nothing is ever lost in following one’s own dharma. But competition in another’s dharma breeds fear and insecurity.” ~ Krishna from The Bhagavad Gita

¹⁴Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. ¹⁵If the foot would say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁶And if the ear would say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. ¹⁹If all were a single member, where would the body be? ²⁰As it is, there are many members, yet one body. - 1 Corinthians 12:14-20

I sat down the other day while trying to figure out where I am going in my life and created a list of things that I am good at doing and another list of those that I am not good at doing. While I cannot say that any of the results bothered me because I have been living in this brain and body for forty seven  years but it became very clear that I have pent almost all of my adult life pursuing  a career niche that places high value on things that I cannot do well and minimizes or completely excludes things I do well. This is not to say that there is not some corner defined as pastoral ministry where I can ply my skills effectively, but it is true that in the role of solo pastor in a small congregation most of the daily tasks are  very costly to an INTP with ADHD and dyslexia. I wish I had known these things years ago, but the only thing to do now is to try to make each moment and action meaningful.

After learning about it a few years ago I have found the concept of dharma very helpful. Everyone has a purpose in life.In the Gita Krishna reminds Arjuna that to be a soldier is his dharma and to not pursue that would be a great sin. The Lutheran concept of vocation for all people is similar in this respect. In the time of Martin Luther vocation generally meant a call to holy orders, but Luther himself recognized that all work done in the living out of life purpose is holy. He is credited with saying that the milk maid has as much a vocation as a priest (reference needed) So the question as I look over my lists is, "What can I do as a vocation/occupation that allows me to play to my strengths while also limiting exposure to tasks for which I am not suited?" I do dot mean that everything has to be fun, but repeatedly attempting to do work that is not your dharma is a great curse.

When St. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth he knew that one of their problems was that they had created a hierarchy of gifts so that some people were undervalued and others were overvalued. His analogy of the body is not intended to ask "What part of the body am I?" but to illustrate that there is interdependence in all communities. While it is farcical to suggest that hands, feet and eyes do not need each other (and offensive to people who have lost body parts that everything has to be present to be considered whole)  many communities, churches included, often do not even affirm that some parts exist all together. There exists a list of things that have to be done and if you want to be a part of it you must do one of those things even if it does not suit you. Those things may have to get done but what about the potential for other things that is swept under the rug by shortsighted leadership?

To bring all of these concepts together an organization will function best when each person is allowed to pursue their dharma/vocation recognizing that it is in the interest of all that this is allowed to happen. Having people in tasks that suit them honors the way that God has granted gifts and leads to contentment among those involved. This does not solve my current quandary, but it begins to give names to the demons that have haunted me for two decades. Simply knowing that inability to do certain things well is not a character flaw is very liberating to me and helps me to sharpen what direction(s) will bring contentment and hopefully financial security that I have never known.