Undergraduate Blog / Defining Your Babson

Why Should I be Faithful to the Task at Hand?

Many professionals are living in a time where we may only be at a job for a year or two or even a couple months and then on to the next. Does this sound similar to our modern era dating lifestyle where the idea of being in a committed relationship sounds boring, a waste of time, and maybe even appalling? We would rather swipe left and right on dating apps instead of ever allowing any connection to stick. Furthermore, the Millennial and Gen Z generation have lived in a time where last minute wishey-washiness in our decisions is a norm. I am not trying to make you feel bad. In fact, I am a culprit of falling into this never-being-fully-known culture. Though there may be memories that many of us have created in the unfaithful pursuits of our lusts, we must ask ourselves are they truly beneficial to our souls. The idea of being faithful to the task at hand is something I truly did not value until reflecting on my internship experience after my last day ended this past Thursday.

For the individuals who cannot identify what tasks have been placed in their hands, bare with me for just a moment. People may get hung up around the idea of calling in asking, “how do I truly know my calling?”. Other than saying my, Lauren Vogt’s, heart’s answer of, “look to your creator, God himself, as He created you and as the inventor and author of your story knows how you are uniquely wired”, I will also give my business response : “Look to what has been placed in front of you”.  Another way to best explain this is a parable a wise man told me a couple weeks ago: “Many people say look at the doors that are right in front of you. However, when I have to make a choice, I look to the doors that are right next to me”. This subtle yet stark difference in words blew my mind. Think about it. Ask yourself the question. What doors have been placed right next to you? I can share a few. Personally, I am a college student. Therefore, I have a task of doing as excellent as I can in school loving others as I love myself. In terms of family, I have a beautiful blended family and I am called to love and serve them. I do this by making sure my mom hears from me once every two days. I call my grandmother as least twice a week. I check up on my stepsisters roughly every two weeks. Then for church, I am called to love and serve the church, the people that fill the congregation. I do this by helping set up service from helping capture b-roll from the Vacation Bible School. Looking at who has been placed beside you is a great way to consider who you can be faithful too. Once you know who you can be faithful too, then is the next step of understanding how you can be faithful in your gifts to the world.

After accepting a production internship role this past summer, I knew I was called to being faithful in my work as an intern. What commitment looked like for me on the job was staying hours after my shift ended to finish a project. It was helping a coworker going through a hard time by stepping aside and being patient and listening to their heart, even if it meant staying after hours. Commitment as well was staying focused on a video project in After Effects, though I was learning a lot of new tools and it meant I would miss lunch. Being faithful to the task at hand was a work value I truly have just started chewing on these past couple days as my internship has come to its end.

The reason I am challenging you to consider what tasks you are or are not being faithful in is because we are all given specific opportunities that are placed on our path for a reason. Think about it. We have specific roles in our communities. We are intentionally placed into our families. We all have passions that are unique to who we are. We all have gifts that can help people in ways we can’t even now fathom. These realities are what make up our stories. However, if we do not act in faith upon what we are being called to do, we are not only doing a disservice to ourselves but to this world.

You have gifts that I don’t have. I have gifts you don’t have. If you don’t go out and stay committed to the task you have been called too, how will people ever be able to truly know you? Maybe that sometimes is the point. You never want to truly be known. However, I am going to challenge you. What makes the human experience exciting, risky, and complexly enriching? The idea of being fully known and still, fully loved. Who are you being called to be fully known and fully loved by?