identity and vocation

This essay is designed to help you connect personally and to engage on how the content shapes your identity (who you are) and your vocation/calling (what you do, I'm a preschool teacher). The essay is intended to ask the “so what” questions about the course, i.e. “If this is all true, what are the implications? How does it actually shape/affect who I am and the work I do in the world?” Students will reflect on all of the course material (books and lectures) and then engage the prompts below, which are intended to function as a summary of sorts of the course content.

How would it impact my sense of identity and/or vocation to believe…

…that God created me and the world in which I live?

…that God  shows me what it means to be truly human?

…that God  has already defeated the powers of evil in the world?

How would it impact my sense of identity/vocation to participate in…

…a community that models relationships and affirms one another’s gifts?

…a community that models both forgiveness and challenge?

…a community that acknowledges and rehearses the kingdom of God as a way of life?

How would it impact my sense of identity and/or vocation to believe…

…that creation and bodily existence are good?

…that God is already and always bringing a new creation into existence?

…that the people of God can join God in working toward this new creation?

A few notes:

1) Some of you may not claim the Christian faith, and if so, I am certainly not asking you to pretend that you do in this paper. You can simply explore how the course content would shape your sense of identity and vocation if you believed it. 

2) Some of you may not have a clear sense of vocation and/or may not currently be working in your desired field. You can write about how the course content might impact you in your future work/field, or how it will impact your work in a general sense. But you do need to be sure to connect the course content to your vocation in some sense, per the instructions in the syllab

How to do well on essay

Write at least 800 words, double-space your paper, use 1-inch margins, and submit it as a Word document.

Address the actual prompts above rather than just general Christian beliefs.

Address at least most (if not all) of the prompts above, rather than a few.

Explore how these beliefs might affect not only your sense of identity but also your sense of vocation (i.e. be sure to address your career context, whatever it may or whatever you hope it will be).

Be specific. Do not simply say, “I learned that God created us.” Rather, tell me how this belief would actually inform your sense of identity and vocation (e.g. “Because God created us, I believe that the students I serve as a teacher have inherent value and worth and I will treat them accordingly.”).

Properly punctuate and cite all quotations.

Use proper grammar and punctuation.