When I was at primary school, I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. When I was at high school, I wanted to be a teacher and even a dental nurse. I sort of stumbled into working in the IT industry. It was fun, but wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life.
As a Salvation Army officer, I’ve found my niche. Officership offers plenty of opportunities for personal development. Most importantly, it makes a difference—Salvation Army officers help people in times of hardship and loss, encourage people to discover their true identity as people God loves, share the story of God’s salvation mission, advocate for justice and mercy, and serve others.
When we look at New Testament teaching on ‘vocation’, its primary meaning is about the call of the Christian gospel on our lives. We are called to repentance and faith, into fellowship with Jesus, out of darkness into light, and to be holy. This is a universal call to all who follow Jesus. We don’t have to decide if we’re ‘suited’ for any of these actions; there is an expectation that when we call ourselves ‘Christian’, we naturally want to become the kind of person Jesus wants us to be.
This edition features a number of people who have answered God’s call to serve as Salvation Army officers. I hope their experiences inspire and encourage you—but know that you have an important calling to serve God just where you are, too.
As one of my favourite writers, Frederick Buechner, says when defining ‘vocation’: ‘There are all different kinds of voices calling you to all different kinds of work, and the problem is to find out which is the voice of God rather than of Society, say, or the Superego, or Self-Interest.’ He continues, ‘The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.’ All of us can hear God’s voice, and all of us can find that place of joy and purpose.
Christina Tyson
Editor
2 Timothy 1:8,9 New Revised Standard Version
‘... join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace.’
2 Timoti 1:9
‘Nāna nei tātou i whakaora, nāna hoki tātou i karanga ki te karangatanga tapu; kīhai i rite ki ā tātou mahi, engari ki tāna ake tikanga i whakatakoto ai i mua, ki te aroha noa hoki i hōmai nei ki a tātou i roto i a Karaiti Īhu, i mua atu o te tīmatanga o te ao …’