Also by this author: Jane Eyre: A Guide to Reading and Reflecting, On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life Through Great Books, The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Created a Culture in Crisis
Published by Baker Publishing Group, Brazos Press on August 5, 2025
Genres: Non-Fiction, Christian Life, Theology, Work, Writing
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Some people are lucky enough to get paid to do what they love. But many are not.
What if your vocation doesn't align with your passion? In You Have a Calling, award-winning author Karen Swallow Prior has encouraging If we pursue the good, true, and beautiful in all our work, we will find our greatest fulfillment.
In an age when passion and calling are often confused, Prior helps readers understand that passions come from within and calling, or our vocation, comes from without and is about being called by others to serve. That crucial distinction can help us understand how God can use both our passions and our work, even if for different purposes.
This book will appeal to everyone who wants to know that their daily work, ordinary though it may be, can fulfill a higher calling to God. Readers will emerge with a renewed sense of purpose, knowing they are created for virtue in all they do because they are created in the image of God.
This small, reflective book explores the topic of vocation and calling. Karen Swallow Prior writes from her experience as a college literature professor and writer who has encountered many students who agonized over the concept of calling. This book demystifies the concept. Prior helps readers see that there are lots of ways to fulfill God’s calling on your life, in both paid and unpaid work, without the pressure of trying to find a single dream job that fulfills all your aspirations and brings meaning to your life.
Prior explores different ideas about passion and calling, offering helpful paradigm shifts. For example, she writes about how people may have different callings throughout their lives, and that it is okay to pivot towards new things, instead of feeling like one particular job is your calling forever. She also writes about ways that someone may follow a single vocation through multiple settings and avenues, and she draws on the Bible, historical Christian writings, and literary references to illustrate and support her points.
All throughout this book, she gently nudges her readers away from myths about calling that cause people undue stress and discouragement, and she shares real-life examples from her own and others’ lives. She addresses both general cultural myths and struggles that are more specific to Christians, such as devaluing work that isn’t in a traditional ministry context, and she encourages readers to have a more expansive view of God’s work in their lives and the world. Prior also reflects on ways that a person’s everyday work can reflect “the true, good, and beautiful,” even when their job isn’t what they aspired to.
You Have a Calling: Finding Your Vocation in the True, Good, and Beautiful will appeal to fans of the author, and to people who are looking for a refreshing, different look at work and vocation. This will be especially encouraging for new graduates who are approaching big career decisions, as well as people who are considering mid-career pivots. However, this is definitely a big idea book, not a practical guide. If someone is looking for pragmatic guidance for finding their calling or navigating the complexities of modern work, this book can give them some important foundational ideas, but they will want to look elsewhere for a more practical roadmap.