A Question of Purpose: essay by Kaitlyn Ramos

pencils, image by WOKANDAPIX, on Pixabay

A Question of Purpose

I paused the rhythmic motion of my fingers on the keyboard as a stray thought intruded

on my concentration. When was the last time I had done this? Yes, I write a lot, but not like

this. I write papers, lesson plans, and emails, but not today. Today I was writing just to create. For so long I’ve been consumed with becoming a teacher and then developing into a good teacher that there’s been no energy for this. Teaching is central to my life—the students, the papers, the pencils. I knew early on that I was made to teach, but I also knew early on that I loved to write. Is there a place for both in my life?

I’m a teacher. That’s one of the first things I tell people about myself. Like many, I heavily identify with my profession—the activity I perform each day that puts money in my bank

account. I love my career, but it took a long time to learn to love it. My path to teaching began in high school, when I had a phenomenal English teacher who inspired me to head down that road. However, the path was not a linear one, nor was it smooth. When I first began to teach, I was entirely consumed by the effort it took each day—so spent that I had no time for anything else.

Many teachers believe our profession is a calling, and, in some sense, I agree that, for me, it is. I know God placed in my heart a love for learning and a love for guiding others in learning. When I see a student’s eyes shine with pride when they accomplish something they had never thought possible, I feel an exhilarating fire spread through my mind, heart, and body that fuels my drive to get out of bed each morning. However, puzzlingly, I get

that same fire from other avenues as well. Which leads me to wonder, is teaching really

my calling?

There are responsibilities in my life that have zero positive impact on my bank account, but I am passionate about them anyway. I am a wife and mother, and I have no doubt that God has called me to those roles. I can humbly say my husband and I work to practice the act of “submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21). I’m also deeply committed to motherhood and joyfully “Train up [my] child in the way [she] should go; even when [she] is old [she] will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). Most would agree that these are also worthy callings, but can you truly have more than one?

Additionally, I have other passions that some may say compete with my calling of teaching.

I’m a writer. I’ve wanted to write for as long as I can remember. I enjoy the process of putting together ideas and letting them fall out as words on a page, much like an artist with images in her mind lets them fall onto a canvas. Does this take away from my calling? Should I put other passions aside to focus on this career that God has set aside for me? These are musings I have sometimes when I get very interested in one of my “side projects.”

Having been engulfed by the demands of the classroom, only recently have I begun to have reserves left at the end of the day to generate ideas and develop my craft. But should I use the extra time to learn more instructional strategies or even to pray for my students more often? Or spend my time outside of my job serving at church rather than on personal pursuits? It seems that these pursuits could be getting in the way of my calling and my responsibilities, but writing now calls to me with a magnetic force.

The Bible has many examples of people who had careers that could have conflicted with their callings. One of the most notable is the apostle Paul himself. As a Pharisee, Paul received extensive religious training, but he also had a trade in tent-making. He seemed proud of being self-sufficient as evidenced in Acts 20:34, “You yourselves know that [my] hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me.” He did not accept payment for his preaching. Does this mean that our careers should then not be considered a calling because they bring in money?

Notably, there is a businesswoman mentioned in the Bible who also showed a passion for

hospitality. Lydia was a “seller of purple cloth” according to Acts 16, and she was also one

of Paul’s first converts to Christianity. Immediately upon receiving the Spirit in her conversion, she does not move to quit her job or change careers, she instead simply opens her home to Paul and Timothy in an act of love. It may seem a simple act, but it likely could have disrupted her business. However, she willingly adapted her life to make space for hospitality.

Another Biblical figure who held a career separate from his ministry was the writer of the

Gospel of Luke. Luke is identified as a physician, a doctor, in Colossians 4:14. Pursuing a

career in medicine is certainly an honorable way to spend one’s life. When they heal the sick and minister to those who need it the most, physicians are the hands and feet of Christ. Luke was surely compensated for his work and likely helped many people. Was it wrong for him to accept money for this work? Additionally, Luke was the writer of a gospel and the book of Acts. I certainly don’t think that it was wrong for him to pursue the writing

of these books.

What does all this mean in regard to my own questions about career and calling? Should

I stop receiving pay in order to devote more time to a ministry? Do I set aside passions

to make my career my “true” calling? I think there is much more to it than any of those questions would have us believe. Our lives are full of different callings. Ephesians 2:10

tells us, “For we are Christ’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Clearly God had multiple works

in mind for us when we were Created—not simply one. I see no indication that those works must be tied to one area.

Was Paul’s career fully separate from his ministry? I think they were likely connected.

Paul made tents as he moved from one church to another, which contributed to the economic stability of each community. In itself, this served the people who also received the good news through him. Lydia complemented her business by using her gift of hospitality, an act that was sure to bolster her own and her business reputation. She

could use this business to serve as an example and witness to those she worked with.

Both these instances show us that a career and a calling don’t have to be at odds,

nor are they necessarily different aspects of life.

The greatest example here is Luke. He had a respected career in medicine where he was

able to directly minister to those who needed healing. Paul refers to Luke as the “beloved

physician” in Colossians, so he was clearly using his skills and training to serve with care.

However, God also used him to pen part of our holy Scriptures. Which would you say was

His calling? I think there is sufficient evidence to argue that Luke followed the mandate in

1 Corinthians 10:31b, “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

So, what does this mean for me? Like Paul, Lydia, and Luke, I have a career plus works to pursue that don’t necessarily line up with that career. I can follow their examples. Like Lydia, I can be moved by the Holy Spirit to use my spiritual gifts daily to serve others and glorify God. Like Paul, I can support myself with a career that ministers to others while also pursuing other forms of ministry. And, like Luke, I am called to write for the majesty of God and to minister directly to people who need my skills. My whole life is a calling to love God—not only with my career but in my responsibilities and my passions. My calling is that “whatever [I] do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23). As long as I keep God at the center of everything I do, I am following my true calling.

_________________________

Kaitlyn Ramos is a faith-driven writer whose work explores themes of challenges

and personal growth. A reading intervention teacher, Army wife, and homeschool

mom in Kentucky, she enjoys travel, museums, and nature walks—often with her

dog in tow. Her work has been featured or is forthcoming in Soul Forte, Hallaren Lit Mag, and Parousia Magazine.

September 2025 issue