Foundational to the Christian faith is the belief that mankind is created in the image of God. Explain how this belief affects the way you interact with people within your chosen vocation?
We are all made in the image of God, this is because during the creation of the first man, he said let us create man in our own image. This means that in each and every individual looks like God regardless of his physical appearance, race and even gender. Being all created in God’s image only means that all are equal and the same and that a neighbour is God’s image and he should be treated well. The holy trinity is the central point of Christian faith; the fact that there is a father a son and a holy spirit but they are all equal should be enough for Christians to treat each other with the same equality. They are three and work as one, this should be what human beings should emulate, the unanimity and mutual love.
A vocation is our area of specialty, where we feel we are gifted in. Christians should learn to incorporate their faith and beliefs in that vocation. One of the best vocation in current society is and I believe will always be being a teacher. This is because teachers are given the chance to make engineers, pilots and doctors out of children; they nurture that talent from its root. Teachers should treat all children in the same way regardless of their race, gender and social class. There should not be favours because one grasps concepts faster than the other; however every child should be treated with understanding of their ability.
Personally I believe being a Christian is a vocation in itself. It is a calling to come to the kingdom of God, but as people come they must be willing to wear the Christian attire (Miles, p45). This is according to the parable of the rich man and his son (Matthew chapter 28:1-20). All are called to come to the Kingdom of God but only a few respond and come. One does not need to have a prominent position in the church in order to become a good Christian, one needs to live by the conviction of Christianity and by the one command Christ gave; to love God and your neighbour as we love yourself.
Being recognized as a Christian is not about preaching it is about the actions. From the parable of the Good Samaritan, the layman and preacher passed by the beaten man and did not help him, but the Good Samaritan who had no position in a synagogue helped him by ensuring that he gets better (Luke 10: 25- 37). This means that Christianity as a call is about actions.
Currently Christianity is made up of rules, which mean that preachers only want to preach in a church that is well made and organized. This is not true Christianity for Christ said he came for the lost and the blind (Miles, p67). A good shepherd is one who leaves all the ninety nine found sheep and goes out to look for the one lost sheep (Matt 18: 3). Christianity is well exemplified by Sara Miles who believes in going out into the society and helping the homeless, giving food to the hungry and clothing those who are naked. According to Sara Miles, in her calling to help people she has met all kinds of people from thieves to the violated and hurt, but they all have one thing in common, they are all in need.
Christianity is not all about knowing all the scriptures, winning arguments about the holy trinity or going to church every Sunday. It is about helping in the society, loving your neighbour when he is even at his lowest and finding ways to help people. It is not about standing at the pulpit and preaching to the found sheep, it is going out there in the streets and bringing the lost sheep back to Gods kingdom. It is not about associating with the born again and saved friends but is associating with the lost and getting to know why they are where they are (Miles, p89). As Christ did, he never associated himself with the Pharisees; he walked and ate with tax collectors, prostitutes and men who were ex communicated due to leprosy.
As followers of Christ, Christians need to embrace Christianity as their first vocation. They should learn to live as good neighbours and treat each other as brother and sister. It is only when they have been able to do that; they can take up a vocation of being a doctor, a teacher and an accountant and practice Christianity there. Before one can become a good doctor or even preacher one has to first become a good Christian who does not judge and practices Christianity and does not just merely speak it.
Work cited
The Holy Bible, King James Version, Luke chapter 10: 25 – 37, The Parable of the Good Samaritan, Matthew chapter 28:1 -20, the Parable of the Rich Man and his Son, revised in 1994, Macmillan Publishers
Miles Sara, Take This Bread; A radical Conversion, Random House Publishing Group, 2008
