The Mask of God: Understanding Vocation

"A shoemaker who makes a good shoe for a fair price is practicing his faith just as much as a minister who preaches a good sermon." — Martin Luther

Martin Luther had a radical idea during the Reformation. At the time, people believed that only priests, monks, and nuns were doing "holy" work. Luther flipped that notion upside down and argued that all honest labor is a holy calling (vocation).

Luther famously said that our everyday occupations are the "masks of God" (larvae Dei). God could feed the world directly, but instead, He chooses to feed us through the labor of the farmer, the baker, and the grocer. God could heal us miraculously, but He often chooses to do so through the hands of doctors, nurses, and researchers.

When you do your job with honesty and care, you are literally the hands and feet of God answering your neighbor's prayer for daily bread.