Belmont University - Freshmen First Forty DaysSample

Day 4 – Vocation

I often pray that we, the Belmont faculty and staff, can steward our students to take what they’re learning in the classroom and unconditionally give it away within the campus, Nashville and even the broader national and international communities – for no other reason than to be an “expression of thanks to God” and an extension of His love, grace, and mercy.

More and more I am encouraged and humbled to witness so many of our students utilizing their professional and academic development to teach and mentor the homeless, refugees, and other disenfranchised people in our community – often allowing one’s focus on building a résumé to take a back seat to a commitment to growing as a servant leader.

When I entered undergraduate school in 1985, serving someone other my own self was the furthest thing from my mind. I simply viewed a college education as a stepping-stone to a stronger résumé, a first job and professional opportunities with economic benefits.

There were times when I would serve in a soup kitchen for the homeless, but those opportunities were usually motivated by strengthening my reputation or future job prospects. Not until after graduate school did I experience the incomparable joy of using my vocational aptitudes to serve – simply motivated by my thanksgiving to the Lord.

It was then, and continues to this day, that I am constantly reminded how blessed I am to have the intellectual and physical capacity to vocationally engage in service for Christ. Whether helping refugees find employment or teaching a struggling metro school student how to read, I pray that I can continue to compliment my vocation with service “because of the surpassing grace God has given…and for His indescribable gift.” (2 Corinthians 9:15)

I also pray that we, the Belmont community of students, faculty and staff, will continue to embrace occasions to share God’s love through service – out of thanksgiving for all He has given us. To me, that’s what is special about Belmont and its Christian community that always seems to seek opportunities to use its resources and energies to “engage and transform the world.”

John Gonas | Associate Professor of Finance