Faith and Faithfulness: Vocation as Self, Others, and a Third Thing

Many of us are prone to thinking in binaries—in “either/or” categories, or in black-and-white thinking. Lawyers seem to be especially skilled at this, as we are trained to identify two things and then try to navigate between them or name their similarities and differences. But staying within that framework can be unhelpful, and even stifling, at times. This Essay explores the intersection of faith and the practice of law, especially the idea of vocation.

It offers an approach to get out of the binary by suggesting that looking at a third thing is essential. For vocation, this includes (1) listening to one’s own call (self); (2) connecting relationally and serving others (others); and (3) acknowledging that God, the Holy One, is always and already present in every space that we walk into and every situation that we are in. By adding this “third thing” and living into it more fully, we can approach our vocation—our calling—with a strong sense of meaning that is simultaneously coupled with a heavy dose of humility.