I *love* what Heather has said above about *vulnerability* and connection... it resonated for me.

Here is what I struggle with... the pay that CEOs are receiving. Health Care is what I know. The last time I checked, the CEO of Anthem health insurance was making somewhere in the 5 million dollar range. Patients are experiencing increasing out of pocket costs, Medicare cut funding to physicians by 21% this year, Patients are denied insurance because they have "pre-existing conditions"... seems broke to me.

From where I sit, annual salaries are commensurate with what we value in our society. When will consumptive consumerism be enough? When will we value our "service" professions... doctors, nurses, teachers, police officers, firemen, et. al. When will we value creativity and pay artists and writers accordingly? When will CEOs receive "bonuses" for a job that deserves reward and not simply because it is an annual event?

I love the Quaker quote, "Let your Life Speak"... I will and I may or may not be paid what I am worth, but at the end of the day, I know I might have made a difference and for me, that is bringing God's abundance into the world :)

The internalized sexism part reminded me of what my mother says about growing up in a family where women were expected to be self-effacing and subservient. She saw the unfairness of this early on; later she realized that her reaction against this unfairness made it harder for her to hear and follow the basic religious teachings about unselfishness/self-surrender. Learning to let go of her own agenda/wishes because that brought her closer to God and made a better world, and not because she was a woman and not worthy of having her own way, was difficult and important.

For me at least the calling has been to a life that includes a fair amount of basic, necessary physical work (because I want my physical needs met, and it doesn't seem fair to put all that work onto someone else) and also time for writing, music, etc. I suspect that most people have artistic or philosophical gifts, and wish that all could have some time to cultivate them. I don't see how that's to happen if we don't all pitch in on the rest of the work.

I agree with you that the rich can preach humility and use it as a cover for social injustice. I'm more and more convinced that we safeguard all of us when we safeguard "the least of these." If people on the bottom are being paid a fair wage with fair benefits and being given a fair shake, THAT's the tide that raises all boats, except maybe for the super rich, but I have an inkling that even they sleep better with a few milliions less in the bank but the knowledge that the peasants aren't about to revolt.

This is an interesting post. Often people following their hearts and leadings need to do "other things" to pay the bills, from Paul's tent making to New York actors working as waiters on the side to writers earning extra funds in the factory or taking a year to work, then a year to write to dancers teaching preschoolers on the side. It comes down to integrity in the sense of getting one's whole life organized around God's priorities, which carries with it humility--being willing to work at MacDonald's if that's what it takes--and a commitment to simplicity.

We've probably all encountered some well-meaning person who senses a leading and turns it into "I can throw myself off the top of this tower and God's angels will catch me before I fall." Those people can easily become discouraged when they can't follow their leading on their own terms rather than working through the obstacles in their paths. Part of following the leading--perhaps the most important part--is the journey.