“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” Colossians 3:23

Rather than asking, “What do I want from life?” we should be asking, “What is life asking of me?”

That’s the difference between a career and a vocation.

A career calculates.
A vocation responds.

A career asks, How can I leverage my strengths?
A vocation asks, Where am I needed right now?

We often over-spiritualize this and call it “calling,” as if one day the phone rings and God tells you exactly what to do. That’s rarely how it works. More often, vocation emerges through ordinary obedience—through unplanned moments. The nudge you don’t ignore. The thing you step into without calculation.

One of the most formative moments in the early days of Waypoint happened on a rainy morning.

A young father—highly accomplished, top-tier education, strong career trajectory—joined the church plant assuming God would use his network, his intellect, his credentials to help build the church.

Then came the storm.

Right before the service, rain started pouring through the door. Water spread across the floor. The band was scrambling, slides weren’t ready, everything felt chaotic—and the puddle kept growing.

No one assigned him anything.

He just moved.

He found the janitor’s closet, grabbed a mop, rolled up his sleeves, and started cleaning so people wouldn’t slip walking into worship.

Weeks later, during one of our first Praise and Prayers, he explained what happened.

He realized God wasn’t asking for his résumé.
He was asking for his story.

It turns out this MyersParkian had spent his middle school afternoons helping a janitor. He knew how to handle a mop bucket. Long before he built a career, he had been formed in quiet, unseen work.

And in that moment, God brought it back.

Not for prominence—but for service.
Not for visibility—but for faithfulness.

That was his vocation in that moment because he asked: What is needed right now, even if no one notices?

That’s where vocation lives.

It often looks small.
It often feels costly.
It rarely aligns with your ego.

Because God is less interested in showcasing your strengths than using you to reveal His.

So the next time you walk into a situation—home, church, work—don’t start with what you bring to the table.

Start with this: What is life asking of me right now?

And be ready for the answer to involve a mop.