There is a famous quote by a man by the name of Frederick Buechner regarding the concept of “call” in life:
“The place God calls you to is where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”
This quote came to mind while I was in Boston and I wish to share that story and then speak about how it made me alter this quote thereby helping me make more sense of it. Because when you read it, it makes sense. You nod your head and think “Wow, deep.” But how do you actually follow God’s call? What does this actually look like?
I had the immense privilege of going to Boston to watch my best friend, Andrew, perform is senior recital as he obtains his degree at Berklee. It was a joy to hang out with him for days on his turf, in his home, with his friends, amidst his dynamics. And the city of Boston is just gorgeous. Really, the East Coast folks make cities well. But I digress. It was during Andrew’s senior recital that I had this revelation.
You see, Andrew was playing a jazz piece (he’s a drummer) with his fellow performers when he then glanced at a clock in the back of the room while still playing. I could barely register on his face some calculations being done, but he never stopped playing or missed a note the entire time. Really, all in all, a very minor event. Pretty much innocuous and forgettable. But after that piece finished, he then cut out a song or two from his set due to time constraints. This would mean that mid-song, Andrew was able to continue playing while mentally calculating the rest of his set and determining that they were likely to run over. Then he picked which songs to cut. Then he finished playing.
During the next song, I retreated into my own mind a bit. I have seen Andrew play quite often in other settings, so I guiltily had trouble focusing on his playing instead of looking at the other people playing since they were novel or his playing became background music as I processed some things.
At this point, my mind went to basketball.
It went back to when I played basketball in high school. I was good at basketball, but I would not categorize myself as great. And I think I went back there because seeing Andrew mid-song gauge the clock and determine what he would play reminded me of basketball players taking stock of the game- or shot-clock and determining which play they would do. Which then led me to think about that being an aspect of why I am not a great basketball player: I did not naturally utilize the time within the game’s structure. Watching NCAA basketball, you can really see how the time influences decisions immensely, but it is done rather fluidly (timeouts notwithstanding). Time is merely an aspect of the game which one must be aware of and even control. It is a rule of the system which must be(come) so natural that one is unconsciously informed by it and focuses on other parts of the system or, as Andrew demonstrated, should time be the element focused on, the rest of the system is so natural it is unconsciously informed by it.
This made me step back a moment and come at Buechner’s definition differently. Instead of a poetic and poignant definition, I mentally tweaked it and came up with perhaps a bit more mundane version:
“The place God calls you to is where you get the most joy working a system and where that system is most oppressive”
This idea struck me because I felt it captured an aspect about “calling” that I have found to be true, but not articulated often. And that is that we will always find ourselves in a system, or systematizing something. Whether that’s being a pastor in a church, a mother of a family, project manager of a construction company, drummer in a band, or point guard on a basketball team. And existing within those systems is something we have to do and must recognize. But merely surviving in a system is vastly different than thriving in one. Merely keeping a basic rhythm for a band is necessary, but the truly great percussionists work the system of Music to transport the music to an otherwise inaccessible vista. The Hall of Fame athletes are able to manipulate the systems of their respective Sport in order to achieve records, perform feats, and defeat opponents with aplomb and joy. A pastor is able to navigate systems of the Divine and Human in order to efficaciously be present with people in their spiritual lives and lead them on in their spiritual journeys. The element of not only being comfortable in a system you work in, but being creative within it is critical. What that looks like and how that pans out will depend on you and your context.
Now, I must admit that in my mind, “working a system” precludes you leaving it how you found it. There is an element here where by your very action upon the system, the system is improved, made better, or, in terms consistent with what is written here, the system is made less oppressive. How this is done and what this would look like is not possible to prescribe really because it will be immensely contextual to you, the place, the time, etc. But should one’s calling be true, the system will not remain the same and will instead be improved by your presence and work. This is also difficult to quantify and may not be apparent for some time. Trusting in God and in the process God sets you on will be necessary for systemic change is not easy, nor overnight. If it is ever easy or done overnight, something is wrong. Or the change was merely the tip of the iceberg and far more work is ahead.
Now, the aspect of the system being oppressive is more difficult to describe (just as difficult as Buechner’s “deepest hunger” really). However, because of the shift in metaphor, I found some clarity which I hope is helpful for others. With Buechner’s “deepest hunger” concept, I found it difficult to place something like American football in the same category as sex trade liberation. If one feels called equally to both, it is difficult for me to consider the world having a deeper hunger for football than working to free people from sex trafficking. However, that would be me creating an unfruitful qualitative differentiation and comparison. Instead, it would be more beneficial to focus efforts on instilling into our future athletes, politicians, and celebrities (as high-status examples) that while they may receive the greatest joy from working those respective systems, they must never forget the concomitant need to work against how that very system is most oppressive. This would mean cultural norms, economic inequalities, media attention, etc. In contradistinction, we would have homeless assisters, sex trade liberators, and pastors (high-status people of a different kind) who need to be well aware that while that line of work may be within systems of greatest oppression, are they deriving joy from working said systems?
When these two elements, joy at working a system and oppression within said system, are in mutually-reinforcing harmony, rest assured you are right where God calls you to be.
