To Do a Profession or to Live It?

“The care you show in your work should be the reflection of the care you show your heart.”

 Syriac Wisdom

Human beings come into the world not only to live, but to live with meaning. To each of us is given a path, an occupation, a profession, a service.

Some serve in the temple as clergy, some in schools as teachers…

Some walk the corridors of hospitals as doctors, some speak in courts as lawyers…

Some till the fields as farmers, some labour in factories as workers…

Some seek knowledge in academia, some tell the news as journalists and writers…

Some serve as mothers or fathers at home, some as principals in schools…

Some represent their people as diplomats, some trade as shopkeepers in the street…

Some serve as volunteers, some as entrepreneurs, some as politicians or leaders in various fields…

And some remain as listeners, as those who pray, or simply as wanderers…

Yet every profession is more than an outward appearance. The true question is this: do we merely do a profession, or do we live it with all our heart?

To do a profession is simply to carry out an external duty—to fulfil a task, to fill time, to appear successful. But to live a profession is to embody its soul. It is to begin anew each day with faith, humility, and devotion. As Saint Ephrem the Syrian said: “It is not the prestige of the work, but the voice of the soul that exalts a person.”

The role of the priest is not only to preach, but to serve people with compassion. Teaching is not only to impart knowledge, but to touch the child’s soul. Law is not only to defend, but to carry the conscience of justice. Journalism is not only to report, but to proclaim truth without corruption. To be a tradesman is not only to sell, but to welcome people with patience. To be a parent is not only to raise, but to pray, to wait, to embrace.

And every profession, when tainted by arrogance and selfishness, loses its sanctity. For arrogance and selfishness are the noise of inner poverty.

Syriac wisdom says: “Whoever exalts himself casts a shadow over the light of God.”

And further: “Whoever sees only their own gain extinguishes the light of others.”

Selfishness isolates a person, narrowing the heart and diminishing the value of all around. Arrogance destroys humility, one of humanity’s greatest gifts.

The essence is this: arrogance, selfishness, and hatred kill our inner peace and our bond with others.

Syriac wisdom reminds us that inner peace can only be found through love and compassion. We must dedicate our hearts and souls not only to doing a task, but to living it.

Every task can become an act of worship—if it is done with sincerity, with love, and with gratitude.

Our work may bear a name great or small. Yet if our intention is pure, simple, and offered to the Lord, that work will flourish and grow; it will become in us a prayer, a mercy.

For God looks not at the outward, but at the purity of what lies unseen.

In the words of Paul: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though working for the Lord and not for men.” (Colossians 3:23)

Let us not forget: it is not the profession we possess, but the spirit with which we carry it that defines who we are.

For at the end of the day, God does not ask, “How well did you perform this task?” but rather, “How pure, how humble did you remain in this task?”

And when, at every step, in every duty, we move forward with inner love and humility, we discover the true meaning of work. Living free of arrogance, hatred, and selfishness, in inner peace, we then bear witness to the ascension of our soul.

Yusuf Beğtaş