I always wanted to be a vet. We always had animals when I was a kid. At vet school we had a discussion about it in the first year. Most people felt that they always wanted to do it. You want to help animals, and that’s the heart of it, but you are dealing an awful lot with people. Helping people is at the core of it and probably why I enjoy it.

Man holding a brown and white dog and smiling

It’s interesting the way God works. My first job was a bit like James Herriot. I moved to a village in the Lake District. It was a lifestyle, working a couple of nights a week on call. I got more and more involved in the local church. I remember I was on call and trying to run the youth group with another person and I got called out to a couple of cows. I knew I couldn’t juggle things.

Now, I work 30 hours a week as a vet and I’m training for the ordained ministry. I realised that there is more to life than work. Having a relationship with God is so important. I wanted to share that with other people. Being a vet and being in the ordained ministry go together really. The workplace is the frontline. That’s where it’s all at. Being a Christian isn’t about going to church on a Sunday. It’s about being there in the real world, being consistent. Being ordained is about being there for people in need.

I think it will be hard to have two jobs, really, but there’s no better feeling than teaching someone about Jesus and then seeing their lives change, coming alongside someone who is ill, or vulnerable or down, that’s a real privilege.

 

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Source URL: https://www.churchofengland.org/our-faith/everyday-faith/everyday-stories/more-life-work