Vocation and Avocation

Have you made a distinction in your own life between vocation and avocation?

A dictionary definition of the terms is as follows:

Vocation: A divine call to the religious life. One's job or occupation.

Avocation: A subordinate occupation one pursues, a hobby, secondary job or interest.

Both of these terms contain the Latin root vocare which means "to call".

The common use of these terms identifies vocation as being essentially our job, and avocation as our hobby.

A Christian distinction of these terms identifies "vocation" as your true calling in life (primary), and "avocation" usually refers to what you do to make a living (secondary). Sometimes a person has the luxury of these two things being very closely related. Other times one pursues their true vocation outside of their job. For example, a salesman might feel truly called to serve the poor. They might have a job (avocation) in sales, but they pursue their true vocation by volunteering with a mission and as a community advocate for the poor (outside their job). We often don't get paid for our vocation, but we must seek ways of fulfilling it. Yes, the highest calling of every Christian is their pursuit of God, but this often has very specific and personal uniqueness as well as life-shaping implications.

Author and educator Parker Palmer put it this way:
"My vocation (to use the poet's term) is the spiritual life, the quest for God, which relies on the eye of the heart. My avocation is education, the quest for knowledge, which relies on the eye of the mind. I have seen life through both these eyes as long as I can remember - but the two images have not always coincided....I have been forced to find ways for my eyes to work together, to find a common focus for my spirit seeking heart and my knowledge seeking mind that embraces reality in all its amazing dimensions." To Know as We Are Known, Parker Palmer.