There have been seasons of life where I’ve had to sift through job descriptions, hoping to find something that fits my unique lack of employable skills AND pays the bills. It’s a rare combo, right?
One thing most of those job descriptions have in common (besides being horribly written) is this:
“Must be a self-starter.”
You had me at “includes full dental and vision” but you lost me at “must be a self-starter.” Because, truth be told, I’m not one.
But then neither is anybody. Not really. Here’s what I mean…
Dallas Willard, the philosophy prof and writer, said that human beings are constantly walking into a world where God has already been at work. He compared the experience to walking into a movie theater after the movie has already started. We’re running in and grabbing a seat, trying to catch up on the storyline.
In other words, we don’t really “start” anything. It’s all in motion already. The story is well under way, and we’re invited to join in. We’re invited to find our part in God’s story and contribute our unique gifts and ideas, to help move the story along and make it even more beautiful.
I recognize hiring managers aren’t typically thinking that way, and that what they mean by “must be a self starter” is “must be willing to take the initiative” and “should be intrinsically motivated.” And those are great qualities each of us can further develop.
But when we end up stuck or lost in life, it’s often because we think it’s all up to us.
Am I responsible for my life? Abso-friggin-lutely. 100%.
Is it “all up to me?” No.
You’ve been given a “calling,” yes. But what makes that good news is that it implies there’s a Call-er. There’s Someone who started the story. There’s Someone who’s invited you to play an important role. There’s Someone who’s working this whole messy thing toward the most satisfying conclusion you could possibly imagine.
In other words, there’s Someone whose job it is to start, carry, and complete the story, and that someone is not you.
Your calling is an invitation to live into a much bigger, more interesting reality than “must be a self-starter.” And you don’t need much motivation when you have that kind of an invitation.
So burn the script that says you have to start and carry it all on your own. There’s a bigger, better story waiting for you to simply show up for today.
