We try, when we wake, to lay the new day at God’s feet…
““We try, when we wake, to lay the new day at God’s feet; before we have finished shaving, it becomes our day and God’s share in it is felt as a tribute which we must pay out of ‘our own’ pocket, a deduction from the time which ought, we feel, to be ‘our own’. A man starts a new job with a sense of vocation and, perhaps, for the first week still keeps the discharge of the vocation as his end, taking the pleasures and pains from God’s hand, as they came, as ‘accidents’. But in the second week he is beginning to ‘know the ropes’: by the third, he has quarried out of the total job his own plan for himself within that job, and when he can pursue this he feels that he is getting no more than his rights, and when he cannot, that he is being interfered.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
We try to dedicate each day to God, but soon our own ambitions dominate, turning work into personal gain rather than vocation.
In simple terms: We start with holy intent, then shift to self‑interest.
Key Takeaway
Guard your purpose against personal ambition.
Themes
purpose
spirituality
work
ambition
vocation
Mood
reflective
serious
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- new job
- daily routine
- career planning
- spiritual practice
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
theology
human nature
motivation
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you keep your work aligned with deeper values?
- What signs show your purpose is shifting?
A Different Perspective
Self‑interest can erode original vocation, leading to burnout.