Intro to Chapter 17: Our Highest Calling
The apostle Paul noted that married people are necessarily anxious about worldly affairs, and for that reason he preferred that everyone remain as Paul himself was, unmarried, free to devote himself to the affairs of the Lord. Even the unmarried, though, have to work for a living, perhaps at some mundane job that seems far removed from any high and holy purpose. Even the unmarried have to worry about clothing and shelter and food. Paul himself was a tentmaker.
As human beings, we pursue educations, plan our careers, plant gardens, brush our teeth, sleep, raise children…These are life’s routines; there is no escaping them. As important as these things are, though, they are not the most important things. The busyness of everyday living can be a distraction from what is most important. We can be engaged in our highest calling and seem completely idle.
Our highest calling is to contemplate Jesus Christ.